Government denies any link between contact-tracing app and spam messages

The spokesman for the Thai government’s Covid-19 task force is urging more people to use its contact-tracing technology, denying there is any connection between it and a recent influx of gambling spam many phone users have complained about. Dr. Taweesilp Wisanuyothin says the app is easy to use and a vital tool in the fight to control any further spread or “second wave” of the Covid-19 virus.

“It will make a trace easier when a new infection is discovered and reduce the amount of people being tested. We ask for cooperation so we will be back to normal life as soon as possible.”

According to a report in Coconuts, Taweesilp says the Thai Chana app has been downloaded by 120,000 people since it launched. (That still leaves a lot of Thai residents and expats who haven’t.) Taweesilp also denies the app has been targeted by hackers, insisting a recent infiltration of spam on users’ mobiles, has nothing to do with the contact-tracing app.

However, he admits the app is still unable to issue notifications but urges more people to use it and more businesses to adopt it as phase 3 of the easing of lock-down restrictions gets underway. Massage shops, bowling alleys and cinemas are among the latest businesses given permission to reopen provided strict hygiene measures are adhered to. Many of them re-opened yesterday.

When questioned as to why massage shops cannot offer facial massage, but health clinics are permitted to carry out facial procedures, Taweesilp pointed out that clinics usually have extra hygiene measures in place. He says the risk of infection through the mouth and nose is high, adding that a significant number of Thai massage therapists repatriated from overseas were found to be infected with the virus.

SOURCE: Coconuts