Ontario Government Investing in TraceSCAN Wearable Contact-Tracing Technology to Help Protect Workers from COVID-19 - Seite 2

The technology is designed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 for workplaces and settings where smartphone use is limited or prohibited, such as airlines, schools, construction sites, and long-term care homes. It will add another layer of safety and protection through identification and isolation of new COVID-19 cases, tracing back the interactions and helping to stop the contamination.

TraceSCAN has already been deployed in multiple pilot projects, leading to the successful adoption of the technology in real-world settings. Some of the businesses and organizations that are using TraceSCAN include Air Canada, LiUNA and Waywayseecappo First Nation.

“My door is always open to new and innovative solutions to help keep workers safe during COVID-19,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Contact tracing technologies have the potential to protect essential workers until the province receives a sufficient number of vaccines. We need more made-in-Ontario solutions to keep workers safe.”

“The continued support of the Ontario Government is very valuable to us at Facedrive, and we are humbled to receive this support facilitating our work to fight COVID-19,” said Sayan Navaratnam, Chairman and CEO of Facedrive. “We are looking forward to working side by side with government institutions in our joint mission to create safe environments for our communities, restart our economy and get workers back on the job. The Ontario Together Fund will be instrumental in helping us grow production volumes, invest in top talent, create jobs and ultimately establish TraceSCAN as a global leader and household name for contact tracing.”

The province’s initial pandemic response was to procure available stock, the majority of which was from international sources. Over the course of the pandemic, efforts to develop Ontario-based production has resulted in a shift to 74 per cent of PPE purchases being domestically produced (by procurement value). Key categories such as N95 respirators, surgical masks, face shields, wipes, disinfectants and hand sanitizer are all domestically produced at production sites in Ontario.

“This is another great local example of the Ontario Spirit at work”, said Raymond Cho, Minister of Seniors and Accessibility and MPP for Scarborough North. “With our government’s support, new companies like Facedrive can expand their operation and production of innovative Ontario Made technology, creating jobs and opportunities right here in Scarborough.”