Australian Government Tests Facial Recognition Application to Implement During Quarantine Measures

Urian B., Tech Times 02 September 2021, 10:09 pm

The Australian government is now testing out facial recognition for them to implement during quarantine measures. The new application is currently being tested in order to make sure that residents are following COVID-19 home quarantine orders.

Home Quarantine App

According to The Western Journal, the application is listed as Home Quarantine SA in app stores and is to be unveiled by the government on August 23, 2021. The app uses geolocation as well as facial recognition software in order to track those that are still in quarantine, according to the South Australia Premier Steven Marshall's statements to Australia's ABC in an interview in August 2021.

South Australians that are ordered to quarantine have to download the app. The app ensures that the citizens comply with the quarantine orders by contacting certain people at random and asking them to provide their proof of location within just 15 minutes. Another use of technology for COVID-19-related matters is the storing of the COVID-19 vaccine card digitally.

Registered Quarantine Address

Citizens would also share their location with the government or even provide "live face check-ins" in order for them to confirm that they are at the "registered quarantine address" according to the description by the app. Marshall told ABC that nobody tells them how often or when and that it is on a random basis. The ones being quarantined would have to reply within 15 minutes.

South Australia's COVID-19 guidelines, health officials, and law enforcement officers can also direct citizens to quarantine in their own homes or even in "quarantine hotels" for a total of 14 days. People breaking quarantine can face a fine up to $1,000, according to the guidelines.

Home-Based Quarantine Monitoring

Individuals who also miss their geolocation check-ins will also be receiving a follow-up phone call where they can discuss why they missed the notification. If they miss that as well, a "compliance officer" could visit their home as noted by the app's FAQ.

Marshall noted to ABC that they use the app in order to verify that people were where they should be during home-based quarantine. The application's pilot program started on August 23, 2021, and had 50 participants. Marshall, however, told ABC that he also plans statewide adoption.

West Australian G2G Now

He noted that he thinks every single South Australian should feel proud that they are the national pilot for the new home-based quarantine app. Another similar application that is known as the G2G Now was developed by the Australian technology firm called GenVis is also being used by the West Australian government in order to monitor people that are in quarantine.

The use of the app is reportedly voluntary except for individuals that are traveling from a certain "high risk jurisdiction" according to the app's FAQ. The app's description reads that performing quarantine checks is now actually quick, fun, and easy with the help of G2G Now.

The South Australia Ministry of Health did not give an immediate response to an after-hours request for comment by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The delta variant has become a growing concern for the public as health officials say the strand of virus eats people's lungs.

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Written by Urian B.