Let’s be real, many of you have made the MySejahtera check out joke far too many times. But have you ever wondered how it works and if the system really thinks that you’re sleeping in the grocery store when you forget to check out?
The answer is no.
That bed of rice does look good enough to sleep on.
In a post by the Ministry of Health (KKM) on Facebook, they elaborated on how your check-in and check out data are used as a part of automated contact tracing. They started off by saying that there are two types of automated contact tracing:
- QR code (looks at the overlap with positive cases)
- Bluetooth (looks at the proximity with positive cases)
In Malaysia, we are using the first method. Here’s how it works:
The AI system uses an “exposure window” and Covid-19 testing data to determine who to send the Casual Contact notifications to. Before the check out feature was introduced, an “upper bound” was used to ascertain the amount of time an individual spends at a place. For example, individual A goes to Restaurant X at 7pm and then Restaurant Y at 8pm, the system will think that you have been in Restaurant X for at most an hour.
You might be thinking, “What if I go home after visiting the first establishment and only go out the next day?” That is what the ministry calls an outlier check-in and the system will use an average duration that is calculated based on location, time and demographics.
Hence, in order to be more accurate in calculating the infection risk, the ministry introduced the check out feature. But that does not mean that if you do not check out from an establishment, the system will assume that you are spending the night there. The outlier system mentioned prior will still be working. Be it as it may, it would be best if you can check out as soon as you leave as it is more accurate.
“If you forget (to check out), don’t worry – we won’t think that you’re spending the entire night at work, or at a restaurant.”
So there you have it-a brief explanation as to how the system works. IF you have received a notification that you are a casual contact, be sure to:
- Answer your MySJ self-assessment.
- TEST if you develop symptoms.
- ISOLATE if you are positive.
Don’t forget to check out!
Also read: There’s A New Twitter Account Reminding Users To Check-Out On MySejahtera & M’sians Are Loving It!
