Main image via Malaysia Kini + Malay Mail
Recently, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the MySejahtera application now comes with a Bluetooth tracing feature for individuals to detect close contact of positive Covid 19 cases. Practical, right?
The new feature is called MySejahtera Trace (MySJTrace) and it will be rolled out with the latest MySejahtera version for Android, IOS and Huawei devices. As of now, it is only available on Huawei AppGallery but soon will be accessible to all platforms.
Despite announcing the new useful feature, the government has no intention to force MySejahtera users to activate the newly-launched feature.
KJ shared that the ministry was is now only ‘encouraging’ MySejahtera users to use the MySJ Trace feature. However, if Covid-19 cases increases, “more strict measures” would be needed.
Image via Malay Mail
“I think when we introduce something new, the first thing is to encourage people to take it up,” he said at a recent press conference.
“If many don’t use the MySJ Trace feature, it’s pointless. We must have a good number of people using it for us to detect close contacts.
“For now, we’re encouraging its use. Of course, if the situation gets worse and we don’t have a high take-up rate, maybe we will have to make it mandatory to enter premises.
“But we don’t want to do that. The message from the public is very clear: don’t force us again to do it,” he said.
Image via Harian Metro
The MySJ Trace function was designed to meet the needs of the Find, Test, Trace, Isolation, Support (FTTIS) programme, which is used by the health ministry to control the spread of Covid-19.
Basically, what the feature does is when an individual is confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19, a notification will be sent via the MySejahtera app to obtain permission to share their close contact information.
If the individual provides consent, MySejahtera will give the health ministry access to this information so that it can conduct a risk assessment on the close contact data detected via Bluetooth – with the health ministry then able to identify and track the close contacts.
The feature is totally secure, though. The ministry noted that the MySJ Trace app uses an anonymised Unique User ID (UUID) and does not collect user information or geo-location.
"This data is only accessible by the MOH and is stored on the user's device for a period of 14 days. Overall, the contact tracking and data storage process is also secure and its secrecy is guaranteed by the government,” the ministry added.
The main purpose of this new feature is to make sure Malaysians will be able to live with Covid-19 in a safe and responsible manner. KJ also shared that this feature would ensure the government did not have to resort to “blunt measures” such as lockdowns. We don’t want another lockdown, do we?
“We need people to use this technology. When you go to public places like restaurants or shopping centres or take public transport, switch it (Bluetooth) on,” KJ said. “It’s for your own safety.”
Image via Malay Mail
Worry not, unlike other heavy apps on your phone, the MySJ Trace app will not drain your phone battery life —it’s a “low energy” user, said KJ.
Also, a plus point for this new feature is that it will no longer have the “checkout” function. We know it can be a little troublesome to keep opening the MySejahtera app and need to press the checkout button every time. Many of us often forget to checkout after leaving the premises,so we’re pleased to hear that the new feature will remove the checkout button.
Everyone is encouraged to use MySJ Trace app, for your own health and safety.
Together, let’s build a more secure and safer place against the threat of Covid 19.
Info via The Edge + Free Malaysia Today