The competence of the QR check-in system has been questioned after NSW Health didn't send text messages to people exposed to a COVID case at an Aldi supermarket.
Central Coast Health listed Aldi at Lake Haven shopping centre as an exposure site on Saturday, August, 14 from 4.50pm to 5.10pm.
People in the shop at that time checked in with QR codes, but were not contacted about being exposed.
A month ago, the NSW government forced supermarkets to employ a staff member or security guards outside supermarkets to ensure people complied with QR check-ins. Police had been inspecting supermarkets to enforce compliance.
"Why is NSW Health mandating that we sign in with a QR code, if they're not using that information to contact those affected?" a person exposed to the Aldi case said.
"You shouldn't be fining people for not using a system that's not being used properly."
A Central Coast Health spokeswoman said people at the store at that time "should have got a text if they used a QR code".
The exposure was listed on Aldi's website a day before health authorities listed the supermarket as an exposure site.
The Central Coast Health spokeswoman said there were a "few checks and balances that have to happen before getting it onto the NSW Health website".
Central Coast Health listed Aldi as an exposure site last Thursday [August 26], but the exposure happened 12 days earlier.
The spokeswoman said sometimes there were delays "when people are symptomatic, but don't get tested for several days".
"Then we've got to back track to when they were first symptomatic. As soon as we're aware [of a positive case], we start the contract tracing process, do the interviews and get it [the information] out as quickly as possible."
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said there was "understandably a lot of concern about exposure sites".
"But it's really important we don't get ahead of ourselves and give [health officials] a chance to do their work," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"The contact tracers don't just rely on a conversation with the COVID-positive person to work out their movements - they can look at CCTV and check Opal card data.
"This is all about pinpointing a person's movements as much as possible."
Chad Griffith, senior electorate officer for Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said, "the length of time before a site is listed is all down to when the infected person becomes unwell and gets tested and then tests positive".
"That can be a delay of up to 10-14 days before a site gets listed."
