Govt’s ArogyaSetu app will alert people about coronavirus patients
New
Delhi,
Apr
03:
The
government
on
April
02
launched
a
mobile
app
to
help
people
assess
themselves
the
risk
of
getting
infected
with
coronavirus
(COVID-19)
and
alert
authorities
if
they
have
come
in
close
contact
with
a
person
infected
with
the
deadly
virus.
According
to
a
Ministry
official,
the
app
will
detect
only
fresh
cases
and
will
send
out
alerts
to
only
those
who
have
been
nearby
the
infected
person.
"The App, called 'AarogyaSetu', joins Digital India for the health and well-being of every Indian. It will enable people to assess themselves the risk of getting infected with coronavirus. It will calculate this based on their interaction with others, using a cutting edge bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence," an official statement said.
If a person is clinically tested positive with coronavirus infection, the mobile number of the infected person is included in the register maintained by the Health Ministry and will be updated on the app as well, an IT Ministry official explained.
"Once installed in a smartphone through an easy and user-friendly process, the app detects other devices with AarogyaSetu installed that come in the proximity of that phone. The app can then calculate the risk of infection based on sophisticated parameters if any of these contacts are tested positive," the statement said.
You are not alone in this fight against coronavirus, says Modi
The
government
announced
a
21-day
lockdown
from
March
24
and
appealed
to
everyone
to
maintain
social-distancing
to
avoid
the
risk
of
getting
infected
with
the
deadly
virus.
"The
App
will
help
the
government
take
necessary-
and
timely
steps
for
assessing
the
risk
of
spread
of
COVID-19
infection,
and
ensuring
isolation
where
required,"
the
statement
said.
The government said that privacy is priority for the app users and the personal data collected by the app is encrypted and will stay secure on the phone till it is needed for facilitating medical intervention.
"Available in 11 languages, the App is ready for pan-India use from day-1 and has highly scalable architecture," the statement said.
The mobile app has been developed in a public-private partnership to bring the people of India together in a resolute fight against COVID-19, the IT Ministry said.
Download the app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nic.goi.aarogyasetu