The pandemic has been a scary time for all of us and it is very important to have a support system for your wellbeing. A lot of people struggled with places of worship being shut down as they lost their support system, and those of the Muslim faith are no exception. Now that masjids (mosques) are open again lots of Muslims are ready to return to worship. The problem is, there are still contact tracing requirements in place for many masjids and it is hard to keep track of everyone in the event of a COVID-19 exposure.
The best and easiest solution to this issue is digital contact tracing for worshippers. This solution allows contact tracing to be done automatically for the masjid so they don’t have to worry! Here is just how easy it is to build a digital contact tracing system for any masjid to help streamline the contact tracing process.
Digital Contact Tracing for Masjids
ABC Masjid sees Muslims come from all over the city to offer their prayers. During the weekly Salat-ul-Jumu’ah, a significantly large number of Muslims gather at the masjid. With a different amount of people visiting the masjid every week, they are having trouble keeping track and complying with COVID-19 regulations. Therefore, ABC Masjid decided they would like to start contact tracing with a digital solution. To get started the masjid has a few questions.
- How do we check in hundreds of visitors in an efficient way?​
- What tools do we need to help visitors check in easily?​
- How do we confirm check-ins?
The masjid committee is currently facing challenges, such as​ how to build an automated contact tracing solution from scratch​, how to streamline multiple tools​into am integrated solution, a general lack of technical know-how​, and dealing with budget constraints. The committee knows what they want for their contact tracing solution, but realize it can be hard to bring their ideas to life digitally – especially when they are not very tech savvy and don’t have the time to learn new skills or a large budget to add a lot of features.
Luckily there is an easier solution – SimplyCast’s digital contact tracing system. This system is a ready-to-go contact tracing solution that can be implemented at any masjid, and uses a combination of QR code technology, SMS shortcodes, digital forms, and automation.
Here’s how it works:
Step One: QR Code-based Check-in
When a Muslim brother or sister visits a masjid, they can simply scan a QR code at the entrance of the masjid to get redirected to a short online form that they can fill out and submit. This saves a lot of time and effort from the leaders and lets the visitors check in independently. Once the form is submitted, the check-in will be completed and visitors will be shown a confirmation page. All they have to do is show this confirmation page at the entrance of the masjid and they will be allowed in. Their digital check-in will be recorded automatically for designated members of the masjid administration to review whenever they need.
Step Two: SMS-based Check-in
In the event a brother or sister does not have a phone with internet access, they can check themselves in just by taking out their mobile phone, typing out a keyword and their names, and sending it to a specific shortcode number to register their visit to the masjid.​
Each masjid will receive a unique keyword for their visitors. Once a visitor completes the SMS check-in, they will receive a reply confirming the successful completion. Then they can do the same as the QR code-based process and show this confirmation at the door to the masjid to proceed with their visit.​
Step Three: Posting Instructions
Once the SMS-based contact tracing and QR code-based contact tracing systems are set up, the masjid administration needs to provide the visitors with instructions on how to complete the check-in process.​ They can hang a poster at the entrance to the masjid so the visitors can see it as soon as they enter. Any signage should include the QR code, the SMS keyword, a short code number for them to message, along with detailed instructions.
Step Four: Comprehensive Reports
As masjids continue to accept visitors to their locations, time-stamped records with visitors’ names and contact details are automatically stored in an online database. This means in the event of a COVID-19 exposure they can determine who was where and at what time. All affected visitors will be notified and informed about any next steps they need to take regarding public health rules.
Benefits of a Digital Contact Tracing Solution
There are several benefits to using a digital solution for contact tracing visitors to a masjid. Among these benefits include:
- Ensuring compliance with mandatory public health protocols and social distancing​
- Reducing the risk of COVID-19 exposures​
- Keeping contact information secure
- Allowing Muslim brothers and sisters to opt out of these notifications if they no longer want to get alerts, to maintain compliance with Anti-SPAM and CANSPAM regulations
You can see how a digitized contact tracing system increases safety and efficiency at masjids. This system allows the check-in process to run a lot more smoothly than it would be using a paper check-in process or no process at all.
Interested?
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