Contak – A Covid-19 contact-tracing app officially launched |10 April 2021
The launch of the app yesterday (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
Proudly developed by Seychellois company Space95 for Seychelles, Contak is the new app that has been created to help in contact tracing.
This app was developed with support from the Department of Information Communication Technology (DICT), the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and the disease surveillance and response unit within the Public Health Authority and was launched yesterday at the Seychelles Hospital by the Public Health Commissioner, Dr Jude Gedeon and the chief executive of Space95 Bernard Moutia.
“Founded in 1995, we celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2020 but could not celebrate this milestone. We needed to show solidarity with the people in the time of the pandemic and its challenges for contact tracing, so our team decided to create this app. This is our anniversary gift to the nation,” explained Mr Moutia.
Andy Noël, chief operation officer at Space95, gave the media a thorough explanation about the app.
What is Contak? It’s a QR code based contact-tracing app and works similar to other tracing apps currently available in New Zealand, Australia and some European countries. Business venues are required to display QR code posters at their place for visitors to scan and check-in. Space95 has assured that all data remain private and secure on someone’s phone.No data gets upload to the Public Health Authority (PHA) server, unless you are tested positive for Covid-19 and opt to share.
Why Contak? This app will help PHA contact tracers as most people cannot recall accurately where they have been the last five days let alone 10 days. Another issue that came up is that some people were giving false information in visitors’ logbook and using a logbook lacks privacy.
How does it work? Mr Noël explained that once downloaded someone can simply scan the QR code posters they see at the entrance of a venue or simply display your screen with your Contak QR code to the door attendant or scan QR code of your friends and colleagues that you meet and come close with regularly.
He stressed that all government and business establishments, all businesses and venues who receive customers and all public venues should have the posters.
Where do I need to display my poster in my venue? Display the poster where it’s easy to see and easy for people to scan. Shops, supermarket, mall: customer entrance; restaurant, bar, hotel, casino: tabletop; church, bus terminal, sports venues: seat; and banks, government, clinic, airport : waiting area.
How do I get QR code poster for my establishment? There are three methods to get posters: 1. Download Contak app on Play Store and register as ‘Entity’; 2. Go to poster registration website: https://ctrack.health.gov.sc/register and 3. Send Space95 an email to contak@health.gov.sc and give them your details.
The app is available on Google Play and will soon available on App store.
What happens after I scan a poster or my close contacts? Your movement location is logged on your phone. No data is transferred on the cloud and in the event that a positive case scanned the same poster, your phone will notify you. In the event that one of your contacts later tests Covid-19 positive, your phone will alert you.
What happens after I present my QR code to the door attendant of a venue? This movement information is only sent to the PHA contact tracers server… it is not shared to anyone else. Your movement history helps PHA contact tracers to quickly identify potential contacts. The data is sent to a system called ‘CTrack’.
Do I need the Contak app to be scanned by a door attendant at a venue? No. The alternatives you can use are your national ID card; your printed QR code ID card supplied by PHA and you can have someone register your details and print a QR code for you.
What happens if I get tested positive for Covid-19? Space95 advises the public that they may upload their data so that PHA contact tracers can see their movement history. Anyone who has potentially been in contact with you will be notified automatically through their own Contak app.
How does the system know who are potential contacts? The PHA contact tracers will filter your movement data and set appropriate time range for each venue visit instance. Anyone with the Contak app who visited that same location within the selected time window will be alerted.
How much does the app cost? The App is totally FREE for individuals, businesses and venues and PHA. Everything, Contak app as well as Back-end CTrack mapping database, given as a donation by Space95.
Space95 has also created some survey features allowing PHA to design its own surveys.
Dr Gédeon thanked Space95 for such a generous contribution and congratulated the four young seychellois who developped the app. They are George Esparon (API developer), Eric Noël (mobile app developer), Leroy Lespoir (back-end developer) and Gregory Panagary (systems tester, user training and documentations).
“This app is like the vaccine, the more people use it the more it will be effective. This app if used by all will be able to help us contain the virus and learn to live with it,” noted Dr Gedeon.
Vidya Gappy
