Healthcare workers can now temporarily disable the COVID Alert exposure notification app while they are at work.
The Canadian Digital Service (CDS) has announced in a series of tweets that a new feature lets users turn the app on or off.
“This change comes from listening to feedback, specifically from healthcare workers, who asked to make it easier to turn off the app while at work and wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE),” the agency tweeted.
Continuous usability testing allows us to learn more about your needs and how #COVIDAlert can meet them.
This helps us decide on new features, including the latest one released today that lets a person turn the app ON or OFF.
More information on this new feature 👇 pic.twitter.com/7OiWYPm4gU
— Canadian Digital Service (CDS) (@CDS_GC) December 10, 2020
The CDS notes that although it was possible to turn the app off before, you had to disable Bluetooth through your phone settings to do so. Now, when users tap or swipe up on the bottom menu on their home screen, they’ll see an option to ‘Turn off COVID Alert.’
“This option was created with healthcare workers’ needs in mind to avoid them receiving false notifications,” the CDS says. “Only people wearing full PPE should turn off the app, and then turn it back on once they are no longer in PPE.”
This new change doesn’t change anything for the rest of Canadians using the app, and the CDS says that the advice remains the same for those without PPE.
Source: Canadian Digital Service
