Canberra’s COVID website Check in CBR is to be switched off next month as the Territory reduces its need for responding to the COVID pandemic.
Announced by the Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith, the app was launched on 8 September 2020 to provide a way for businesses and the community to support contact tracing and minimise the spread of COVID‑19.
Ms Stephen-Smith said now was an appropriate time to close the app.
“Canberrans really embraced the Check in CBR app and have used it to keep track of their movements, hold their vaccination certificate and link to the form for reporting positive Rapid Antigen Test results,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“In May 2022, the Chief Health Officer removed the mandatory requirement to check in using the Check in CBR app, recognising it was no longer required for contact tracing,” she said.
“At the time, many people said they wanted to continue using the app and it was also adjusted to enable high-risk settings like hospitals and aged care facilities to use it as a screening tool.”
However, Ms Stephen-Smith said the app was no longer required as the ACT continued to move towards managing COVID-19 in a manner that was more consistent with other infectious diseases.
She said that at the height of its use, the app supported quick and efficient contact tracing efforts, became a valued resource for workplaces and the broader community, and assisted ACT Health in their response to outbreaks and exposures.
“The app was downloaded more than 1.25 million times and 117 million check-ins were recorded across more than 29,000 different locations,” she said.
“Over 251,000 vaccination certificates have been shared through the app.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said switching off Check in CBR meant users would no longer be able to access their COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate through the app.
“Should users still require access to their vaccination certificates, they can find instructions on the ACT Government’s COVID-19 website,” the Minister said.
“The team responsible for the development and maintenance of the app had done a fantastic job in supporting Canberrans through the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and I want to thank them again for this nation-leading work,” she said.
“We know that we will continue to have waves of COVID-19 into the future, and we will continue to work with the community to manage the ongoing impacts of the pandemic,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
