The app will also be mandatory on Canberra's bus and light rail network, along with taxis and rideshare vehicles.

More than 8700 QR codes have been installed on the territory's bus and light rail fleet ahead of the app's use becoming compulsory, a move which was announced two weeks ago.

The app will also become mandatory in retail settings including supermarkets, petrol stations, takeaway services, clothing stores and department stores.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said Canberrans were now used to the process of checking in.

"It is something, I think, we get used to. We've talked before about the habit building we've done over the last 18 months, and checking in is now becoming a habit, I think, for all of us, and it's something that we just need to continue to remember," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

Businesses need to check in people who do not have a smartphone or are unable to use the app.

Transport Minister Chris Steel said people should also register their MyWay cards when travelling on public transport. A registered MyWay card is required for people who do not have a smartphone to use the check-in app.

"This is to ensure an extra level of information in the event that you are unable to check in for some reason, so our contact tracers can use the information from the MyWay system to get in touch with you as an alternative method of contact," Mr Steel said.

Mr Steel said people would need to check in to each bus or light rail vehicle if they transferred during a trip.

"These QR codes are unique to the bus or light rail vehicle where they've been installed," he said.

Ms Stephen-Smith said Access Canberra would be working with businesses new to the scheme to ensure patrons were checking in and businesses were ensuring visitors were complying.

People aged 16 years and older must check in upon entry, regardless of how long they are planning to spend in a venue. Previously, only people staying longer than 15 minutes were required to check in.

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The app is used by more than 14,000 businesses, who have recorded 22.1 million check-ins between them. The app has been downloaded close to 860,000 times.

Businesses who recorded lower-than-expected check-in numbers have previously been contacted as part of compliance monitoring, sparking privacy fears.

But health authorities say disaggregated data - which records the number of check ins - is held separately to personal data, which is used only for contact tracing.

Ms Stephen-Smith said a fortnight ago the mandatory check-in requirement was designed to tackle the more transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19.

"People will be expected and required to check in where it is mandatory, no matter how short a time you're going to be in that business or venue," she said.

"That again, is a response to what we are seeing in the change in the way the virus is transmitting from person to person with these new variants of concern.

with Lanie Tindale

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