An app has been developed that can help track people who’ve been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, introduced on Friday the new voluntary, secure mobile contact tracing app ‘ABTraceTogether.’
It uses bluetooth technology that notes when two individuals with the same app are within two metres of each other for 15 minutes over 24 hours.
Those who test positive would be asked to voluntarily share their data which will then show who they’ve been in contact with and may have contracted the virus.
“ABTraceTogether was designed to help protect Albertans and prevent community spread by quickly alerting people who may be at risk,” said Hinshaw.
“The more Albertans who use it, the better we will be able to protect individuals from being unknowingly exposed and possibly spreading the disease.”
The app isn’t mandatory and those who download it will have to opt-in. Only the person’s phone number is collected and nothing else.
All encrypted data collected through the app is only stored for 21 days.
It’s currently available for both Android and iPhone users.
More information can be found on the GoA’s website.
