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Retaining QR codes beyond coronavirus idea draws criticism in South Australia

An idea that South Australia’s contact tracing program could continue after COVID-19 passes has seemingly garnered little support among politicians and the public, with some calling for it to be “nipped in the bud”.

SA chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier was on the weekend quoted saying she would like to see the state’s QR code regime, which requires people to register when entering public places, continue as a safety net against future pandemics.

It was unclear whether Professor Spurrier wanted people to keep scanning in or to simply retain the technology for future use, but she admitted it would be hard to convince people to keep scanning QR codes once the COVID-19 situation had been resolved.

Liberal senator for South Australia Alex Antic said the suggestion was a “thought bubble” that needed to be “nipped in the bud early”.

“I think South Australians have been very patient for good reason as a lot of these things have been very helpful, I think, in terms of managing the pandemic,” Senator Antic said.

Senator Antic said South Australians had largely accepted the inconvenience because there was “an end in sight”, but adopting QR codes for “time immemorial” could encourage people to simply avoid malls and shop online.