Introduction
The Covid-19 Alert app was first introduced to Ontario residents for a trial run in July 2020. The main goal of the app is to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 by sending a notification to a user when they have been in close contact with another person who has tested positive for coronavirus. Essentially the app alerts people of possible exposures before symptoms appear allowing them to take proper health and safety precautions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promoted the use of the Covid-19 tracking app during his media conference stating: “This is another tool to protect your health … if enough people sign up, this can help prevent future outbreaks of Covid-19 in Canada.”
Covid-19 Alert App
The Covid-19 Alert app can be found in the Apple App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android.
If an individual tests positive for Covid-19, public health will give them a diagnosis key to enter into the Alert app. A prompt will then appear asking the user for permission to share the code with a central server. By using Bluetooth, the app can exchange codes with nearby phones of people who have tested positive, then alerting the user when they have been near one of those codes. Typically, the user has contact with another individual for 15 minutes within six feet before a notification will appear. Once a user has been notified of an exposure to someone who has tested positive, the app will explain what to do next.
The Covid-19 Alert app does not use GPS to track your location, meaning your privacy is protected. No one will have access to your location, name, address, or health information.
The Covid-19 Alert app is available in:
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Ontario
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Northwest Territories
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Nova Scotia
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Prince Edward Island
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Quebec
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Manitoba
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New Brunswick
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Saskatchewan
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Newfoundland and Labrador
Currently more than 3 million people have downloaded the app. With the number of cases increasing, the app acts as an important addition to current public health measures and should be downloaded by Canadians to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
References
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/7239119/coronavirus-exposure-notification-app-covid-19-ontario/
