COVID-19 Current Update.




New QR Code and Visitor Registration Regulations for Victorian Strata Sector from 23 April 2021
SCA (Vic) Coordinate with Victorian Government on COVIDSafe Settings for Strata
Strata Community Association (Vic) have reached out and sought clarity from the Victorian Government over the past week, concerning future COVIDSafe protocols applicable to the strata sector.

Advice received by SCA (Vic) from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) states that social visitors are not required to check in to apartment blocks that are solely inhabited by occupants (this does not include short-stay accommodation services such as Airbnb, or where check ins are required for shared, communal areas).

This is instead highly recommended by the Victorian Government as a means of best practice for ensuring prompt contact tracing in the event of a future outbreak of COVID-19 on or within a property.

Furthermore, SCA (Vic) have received advice that record keeping is only required for other visitors (such as tradespeople or couriers) when they attend a facility or venue on the property for a period of longer than 15 minutes.

For further information regarding implementation of QR code and electronic visitor registration for contact tracing purposes, please click here.

SCA (Vic) will continue to work alongside DJPR into the future to ensure that COVIDSafe regulations for the strata sector are fair, clearly defined and fit for purpose, to best keep people safe and keep Victoria open.

What this means for Owners Corporations
All businesses in Victoria are required to have a COVIDSafe Plan in place, including Owners Corporations.

Subsequently, COVIDSafe Plans require Owners Corporations to keep records of those occupying and visiting a site, for the purposes of contact tracing. This includes visitors to private residences within the site, or trades and service providers working within private residences or on common property.

All Victorian multi-dwelling properties with shared facilities and workers (including employees and contractors) onsite must have a COVIDSafe Plan.

Effective record keeping using QR codes has been identified by the Victorian Government as the most effective countermeasure available to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the community while keeping businesses and the economy open. Information concerning COVIDSafe Plans and QR Code requirements for Owners Corporations can be located here.

What to do
There are two ways for Owners Corporations to integrate new or existing QR code and electronic visitor registration systems to the Victorian Government’s contact tracing system.
• Register and use the free Victorian Government QR Code Service OR
• Establish if your existing QR code/record keeping integrates with the Victorian Government API
If you are not using the free Victorian Government QR Code Service, your existing QR Code must be connected to the Victorian Government API (Application Programming Interface). To find out if your QR Code connects to the API, please click here. If your existing QR code doesn’t connect to the API, please enquire with your provider as to future arrangements. Subsequently, if your provider indicates that the QR code will not be integrated, please refer to the above information to register your Owners Corporation for another, API-compliant QR code provider, or register and use the free Victorian Government QR code service.

About the Victorian Government API
The Victorian Government has recently commissioned an API (Application Programming Interface), which is a software designed to allow non-government QR codes used for contact tracing within businesses and organisations to communicate directly with the Victorian Department of Health’s contact tracing team.

The commissioning of the API is designed to speed up the response time of contact tracers in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19, allowing for a greater chance at containing said outbreak through the collection of data within minutes, as opposed to hours or days.

In the event of a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak within their property, a business using electronic visitor registration is required to provide the name of their provider under the new regulations, allowing contact tracers to instantly access required information, and act as quickly as possible to ensure containment.

More information about the Victorian Government QR code and API compatible check in solutions is available here or by calling Business Victoria, on 13 22 15

For more information
For information on current public health restrictions and guidelines, click here or call the Victorian Government’s Coronavirus Hotline, on 1800 675 398


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