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India Orders Coronavirus Tracing App for All Workers


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Employees wear protective masks inside a call center run by Uttar Pradesh state police.

India is requiring all public- and private-sector employees to use a state-supported coronavirus contact tracing application.

Credit: reutersmedia.net

India's government has directed all public- and private-sector employees to use a state-supported coronavirus contact tracing application, as lockdown measures are gradually relaxed in districts less impacted by the pandemic.

In April, India rolled out Aarogya Setu (Health Bridge), a Bluetooth and global positioning system-based app that notifies users who may have come in contact with people who later test positive for COVID-19.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the app's use is compulsory for all workers, and company heads will be held accountable "to ensure 100% coverage."

Ministry officials added that Aarogya Setu has been downloaded about 83 million times to date, and must be installed on at least 200 million phones to be effective.

Since the app collects data anonymously, the government says it will not infringe on privacy.

From Reuters
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Abstracts Copyright © 2020 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA


 

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