Let's Do Contact Tracing Done Right.
Illinois Sign In to Dine In , an idea to help facilitate contact tracing, was rolled out on Facebook on May 29th. I wanted to build a stronger case for it so last week I typed "Sign In to Dine In" into Google. Two places showed up, Washington State and Australia.
Restaurants were initially required to record customers’ contact information in Washington's Phase 2 reopening plan. But Gov. Jay Inslee quickly retracted the requirement that diners provide contact info when restaurants reopen. The good news is the major flaws/objections have been corrected and sign in is voluntary so it will still provide decent contact tracing to help contain the spread of the virus.
Australia's "Sign In to Dine In" is truly amazing that it actually proposed by the Restaurant Industry - not the government - not health the agencies.
If there was every a compelling reason to look to Australia and Washington for great examples of how to tackle the Covid-19 Pandemic, it is this chart...
How Illinois compares to Australia and Washington state on containing the virus.
Notes:
Jan. 21, 2020. A Washington state man in his 30s who traveled to Wuhan, China was the 1st confirmed case novel coronavirus in the United States.
Jan. 24, 2020: A Chicago, Illinois woman who also travelled to China was the first person in Illinois and second in the country to have a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Let's look at what Australia and Washington State are doing?
🍴🍲 SIGN IN TO DINE IN 🧂🥂
If you've dined out since the easing of coronavirus restrictions - have your details been recorded?
The NSW Public Health Order requires every cafe, restaurant, club and pub to record the details of each guest for 28 days, to enable quick contact tracing.
"The occupier or operator of the premises must record the names and contact details, including telephone numbers or email addresses, of all persons entering the premises." Adam Crouch MP – Member for Terrigal
[ Read the Article ]
The Restaurant and Caterers Association of Australia, which is desperately trying to find ways to open as the killer coronavirus ravages their industry, proposes "Sign In to Dine In."
“A proposal from the Restaurant and Caterers Association to record every visitor to each restaurant to help deal with outbreaks and contact tracing and to use disposable cutlery, axe menus and have physical barriers to stop tables interacting,” Mr Clennell said.
The proposal would require patrons to pre-book or sign in to dine in where practical.
[ Read the Article ]
Restaurants' novel new ways of making diners feel COVID safe as they reopen.
Our favourite restaurants have finally reopened and they want you. They are going above and beyond to make customers feel COVID-19 safe.
Visitors also need to sign in to dine in, registering details for contact tracing.
[ Read the Article ]
Washington state directs restaurants to log all eat-in customers in order to reopen
The move will allow authorities to contact-trace infected diners if necessary.
"If you have somebody who has become sick and they were sitting right next to a person at a restaurant, to be able to identify that person could be very valuable for their health to try to save their life, and so we put that in place," Wahington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday.
[ Read the Article ]
Washington Gives Restaurants Set of Reopening Requirements [UPDATED]
The move will allow authorities to contact-trace infected diners if necessary.
"If you have somebody who has become sick and they were sitting right next to a person at a restaurant, to be able to identify that person could be very valuable for their health to try to save their life, and so we put that in place," Wahington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday.
[ Read the Article ]
As our restaurants are re-opening for inside and outside dining, a critical component to slowing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, contact tracing, is far below where it needs to be in Illinois as Gov. Pritzker backtracks on contact tracing.
As we open for inside dining, it is likely that many of the people that will be testing positive for Covid-19 will have dined inside at one or more restaurants. Vacation season will also bring visitors from other cities, other states, and even other countries to our local restaurants We are currently seeing rapid increases of Covid-19 in states that may have opened too early. If a visitor stopping for a meal while passing through happens to be a super spreader, then we may have a new hot spot where few or no cases of Covid-19 had existed before, especially in rural Illinois.
"We have the makings of a perfect storm as states open up: asymptomatic, unmasked, COVID-19 carriers potentially transmitting the disease to those nearby just by talking.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health recently used laser light-scattering technology to demonstrate that normal speech emits thousands of oral fluid droplets that can persist in the air within a closed environment for up to 14 minutes."
If you dined inside at the same time and same restaurant as someone later found to be infected by the Covid-19, wouldn't you want to be notified so that you can take steps to protect you and your family?
"Sign In to Dine In" Comparisons
Grass Roots Effort
Asks fans to make contact tracing log books for their favorite restaurant(s)
Voluntary
Voluntary for restaurants and for diners from the beginning.
Paper Records
Daily records are kept by the restaurant and destroyed in 30-60 days if no Covid positive person(s) are traced back to the restaurant.
Download Sign In Sheet
Download "Sign In to Dine In" Notice
Designed for Privacy
All from the beginning
Only one person per party signs in.
Time In or Time Out are not asked for.
Email addresses are not asked for.
(Emails are the preferred method of scammers. Even if health department emails are legitimate, no one will believe that they are.)
State of Washington
Formerly mandatory as a condition for re-opening of restaurants.
Now Voluntary
Made voluntary after pushback from ACLU and restaurant owners.
Various Options
Daily records are kept by the restaurant and destroyed in 30 days if no Covid positive person(s) are traced back to the restaurant.
Download Customer Visitor Log
Download Contact Tracing Infographic
Privacy After Pushback
Significant changes in voluntary program.
No longer requires everyone to sign in. Now asks only one person in party to sign in.
No longer requires logging of time in.
+ Other Changes
Industry Initiative
Began as a proposal from the Restaurant and Caterers Association.
Industry Adherance
(not researched)
Various Options
(not researched)
Privacy
Governed by Australian Privacy Principles
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Illinois needs "Sign In to Dine In"
to help stop the spread of the Corona virus!
Click on photo for details.