Sydney Domestic Business Lounge Covid scare

[jakeseven7]

All lounges have a strict check in policy.

I meant the notifications.

I know they check your check

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Is this still a thing? Wow

In South Aust, the SA govt has left it up to management of the place you are entering, if you have to do a QR code check in, or not.
And not everyone has data included on their phone, or/and not everyone has a smart phone.
Wish covid could be dealt with, and we can all fly again without fear, ala pre covid.

 

[DC3]

People are still checking in?

And you are also checking in at the lounges?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

As someone who is in a high risk group, I always check in everywhere I go. That being said, there is frankly no rhyme or reason to these notifications. I can be at a Starbucks for 8 hours checked in no notification. Meanwhile I head to the Woolies for 5 minutes and my phone is ringing for the next 3 days. In particular, I remember having to go to a medical centre and wait for 2 hours and afterwards being pinged several times over that someone with COVID was there. Fortunately, I had an N95 respirator and tripled vax so the risk for COVID was minimal.

In any event, it's always sensible to assume that if you're in a indoor environment you may be exposed to COVID. That's the reality we're in and likely will be in for some time. So we must learn to deal with COVID.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Spacetravel]

My app looks like a Christmas tree, absolutely everywhere I go and check in I receive a notification. So much so I don't even look at it anymore. I was still even in the venue recently when the notification came through for the same place.

You will find most the time it's probably an employee testing positive that generates the alert, than someone who checked in at the same time as you. Say someone checks in at 10am - checks out at 2pm, you check in at 11am - check out at 11:05am. If the person that was there the same time as you even though they arrived several hours earlier and left later, you receive a notification. Also if you don't check out it makes a difference too because they have to assume the time you left which is + 2 hours from check out last I heard.

The NSW rules are, app alert is "casual contact" and you don't have to do anything but have a rat test if you get symptoms which is what you should do regardless of check in alert.

 

[madrooster]

I meant the notifications.

I know they check your check

It's completely automated. NSW actually bothered to do some automation for a lot of this stuff unlike other states.

The data comes from the path lab for PCRs or online reporting for RATs. The nominated mobile number is then checked against the QR check ins and an automated alert goes out to those who checked in +/- 1 hour of the positive case's own check in.

 

[jakeseven7]

My app looks like a Christmas tree, absolutely everywhere I go and check in I receive a notification.

Sounds like a bit of a waste of time then to me. Just assume it’s everywhere.

So many people asymptomatic/ not testing it’s hardly accurate anymore…

I guess if you were a a very very vulnerable person with several underlyings / live with someone who is / are unvaccinated maybe you’d want to know any scrap of info you could I suppose.

 

[maia200]

It is quite reassuring seeing the above posts that it really is standard. As rooflyer88 said as a high risk person I always used to check in but in Qld there is no notification so decided there is no point. I reckon it will be gone by month end and it has already gone in many places e.g. went to the library yesterday and no check-in. It is safe to say it could be anywhere anytime and that is what we live with now. Another virus.

 

[RichardMEL]

I just spent a few days in QLD and saw literally nobody checking in - except at the OOL lounge where it was very much required. I had seen that the requirement was removed except for certain settings (high risk) so I got that it wasn't being used at a cafe or whatever and that's fine. I was a little bemused to have it enforced at the lounge (but no issue as I had everything installed so was no biggie). More general comment the complacency I saw in at least SEQ re indoor masks etc was incredible. Even in the lounge (though there only seemed about 3 people working) that people sitting around the lounge drinks long gone without masks on and nothing said was a bit disappointing tbh. Weather one agrees or not with the requirement is irreelevant because there is one and just so many people giving it, ahem, lip service was something else. Much more consistent in SYD and MEL imo.

 

[AIRwin]

Weather one agrees or not with the requirement is irreelevant

Whether/weather is irrelevant?

 

[esquire]

I think I had a run of three out of three visits to the SYD lounge in the space of about a month late last year where I got a ping a few days later from the Service NSW app

I've had 6 out of 7 SYD J Lounge pings since December. I think it just get automatically added...

 

[RichardMEL]

Whether/weather is irrelevant?

aww man. as soon as I read the quote I cringed at myself. duh!

good catch

 

[RichardMEL]

I've had 6 out of 7 SYD J Lounge pings since December. I think it just get automatically added...

Reality is of course that the J lounge in SYD is a high traffic area with probably thousands checking in daily and thu obviously the chances are that either one or more pax or staffers then test positive is quite likely. Just the nature of the situation really.

What I guess is frustrating to me is that for example I was there for I dunno 30min the other day. App pings a few days later.. but there's no indication.. am I to assume the case(s) were in the lounge at the same time or could they have been there some time that day? It's the "5 minutes at Woolies" example above the thread isn't it? chances are really unlikely.

The other thing with the NSW app is the check out thing. I forgot to check out when I left the lounge and only when the app reminded me when I was on an aircraft I was like uh oh right yeah, OK I need to do that...

I understand fully the logic that it narrows the time in a venue (which goes back to the point above about 5 minutes in Woolies) while the other setups seem to assume perhaps someone is in a location for some period, or perhaps the rest of the day post the time of check in. who knows? Since there's no contact tracing(at least here in vic anyway) anymore it does seem a little moot.

I think mot QR check in requirements will be removed in the next month or so anyway.

 

[DC3]

So, how was the weather? I’m actually in two minds as to whether I want to know, or not.

 

[Rangalad]

They are quite strict at the desk and won't let you in if you are not in the queue and check in.

That’s a change from a few weeks ago on a Friday morning ( school holidays). More interested in Tim Tok videos than customer service.

 

[RichardMEL]

The Wheater is fine, weather you like it or not, it is very personal to each person weather the whether suits them or not..

you know, trying to use the wrong spelling deliberately is pretty hard since I'm concentrating on it !

anyway moving on back to the thread at hand

 

[Lynda2475]

I meant the notifications.

They arent proactive notifications, you have to go into the app and open your history to see if there are any of these pings, and since they are always just watch and monitor for symptoms nothing to worry about.

No actual contract tracing is going on, it just means a positive case checked in and then registered their positive result and the app lets you know, if you can be bothered to look.

 

[serfty]

They arent proactive notifications, you have to go into the app and open your history to see if there are any of these pings, and since they are always just watch and monitor for symptoms nothing to worry about.

I am not sure what you mean by "They arent proactive notifications"?

Thinking the two SMS's I received were each somewhat proactive.

 

[RichardMEL]

I would use the word "reactive" than "proactive" - semantics perhaps.. A bit hard to be proactive in this situation - assumes you know a positive case WILL show up at a spot... and if you knew that, well.... that would be amazing

I find it clunky to get an alert that then says go into the app to your history and read the alert there. Like why not just give the details with the original notification? seems a bit coughbersome, but that is a minor quibble I guess.

 

[Lynda2475]

I have never received an SMS from the Service NSW app, and i have seen the ping in the check in history for Qantas Business lounge at SYD both times I've been there this year.

Service NSW app has an option for push notifications (these are just a little indicator on the app icon that lets you know to go check your history, where these nuisance warnings are). There is no setting to request an SMS (at least not in android app).

The only people I know who have had an SMS from service NSW were deemed close contacts and required to ISO and that was back in the delta days.

Has anyone else ever received a SMS from NSW Health for a casual exposure?

Did you check out, failing to do so could have system assuming you were there for longer period therefore at higher risk? Or perhaps your SMS was for another states app?