In light of the recent five-day snap Melbourne lockdown, the city’s favourite ice cream haunt Augustus Gelatery is determined to serve up scoops for the rest of Summer and throughout the 2021 Australian Open without fear of spreading the COVID-19 virus as they participate in a trial of a new contact tracing system.

From mid-February 2021, Australian contact tracing technology Contact Harald will be implemented at its flagship Essendon store and manufacturing facility. The 30 staff on site and workers passing through these locations will be accounted for using Australia-first, Bluetooth-enabled tracing technology in a bid to ensure any potential
outbreaks are caught in the early stages.

Contact Harald is a wearable card that is given to all staff on site and during extended visiting periods. The technology then records and stores interactions that last over two minutes and within a 1.5 metre radius.

If a staff member declares symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, only the recorded users in close proximity to the suspected or confirmed case will be sent an SMS and email via the secure Contact Harald database, owned and administered by Augustus Gelatery – removing the need for external agencies and nullifying cyber security concerns.

In the event of a suspected or confirmed case, this new contact tracing system will notify only those with recorded close contact – this advancement enables other sections of the flagship location to stay open with minimal disruption.

Paul Vernuccio, Director at Augustus Gelatery, said: “Our flagship location in Essendon is one of our busiest, with hundreds of ice cream lovers passing through the door each day. And with the Australian Open on the way, we only anticipate these pre-and-post match scoops to increase.

“As we continue service during our peak summer season, the safety of our employees and the wider community is definitely kept front of mind. The last thing we would want would be to go back into a lockdown situation given all the community have endured already.”

Director of Health and Product at Contact Harald Elissa Reid, said: “Ice cream is made for long summer days and is the perfect way to
reconnect family and friends after time spent apart. We want to ensure that those who come in close contact with customers in the service industry are given the best tools available to keep everyone safe – particularly through contact tracing means. Contact Harald is the only complete and reliable solution currently available that allows those interacting with our healthcare system to continue to operate safely.

“Contact Harald is built from best practice, simple and smart technology to map, manage and minimise the impact of outbreaks for communities
and businesses alike. If an outbreak were to occur, it’s important we act fast to manage and mitigate the outbreak, whilst not inciting fear in customers unaffected by the source case,” Ms. Reid said.

The Contact Harald solution adds a crucial extra layer of safety and security to our existing COVID-safe protocols and provides a little extra peace of mind for those based on site.” Mr. Vernuccio said.

Contact Harald is currently being used by large, multi-national organisations across a variety of industries that include construction, aged care, manufacturing, entertainment and mining, to name a few, both in Australia and overseas.

To find out more about Contact Harald or request a demo, visit
www.contactharald.com.