The Canadian COVID Alert app is now live for residents of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.
The COVID Alert app works by using Apple and Google’s new notification API in conjunction with good old fashion human cooperation. When someone tests positive for COVID-19, they then input a code into the app, and then any phones that are also using the COVID Alert that have been near the infected device will notify their users so they can also get tested.
Hey, New Brunswickers and Saskatchewanians! You’ve been washing your hands, keeping two metres apart, and wearing your masks – and now there’s another tool you can use to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our front line workers: the COVID Alert app is available today.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 18, 2020
The government has stressed that the app doesn’t store users’ locations and only uses Bluetooth and randomized codes to detect phones.
The app is available on iOS and Android.
If you want to learn more about the app, MobileSyrup has an explainer you can read here. The app is already in use in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta, with more provinces likely on the way.
Source: @JustinTrudeau
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