Newport Council Promotes Covid App

North Somerset Council encourages residents to download NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app.

06:52 29 September 2020

North Somerset Council is encouraging residents to download a Covid-19 contact tracing app to help prevent the spread of the infection. The app, which is based on Google and Apple’s privacy-preserving technology, was launched last week. It has been designed to be used alongside traditional contact tracing methods to identify individuals who have been previously tested positive for coronavirus.

 

Cllr Mike Bell, the authority’s executive member for public health, said: “I want to encourage as many of our residents as possible to download this app as an effective way in helping to combat coronavirus which has had such an impact on our lives and how we go about our daily business.

 

“Not only will it help with track and trace but it also has other useful information built in such as the symptom checker.

 

“We all need to follow the guidance too on social distancing and continue with our hand-washing regime – think hands, face, space.”

 

Individuals who sign up for the app will be shown the level of risk associated with the area after they input the first half of their postcode. Using Bluetooth technology, the app will monitor the amount of time that they are in close proximity to each other. Individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus may then allow the app to notify individuals they have been in close proximity to so they can also get tested. The also app allows people to record when they visit a venue by ‘checking in’ using the venue’s QR code.

 

Matt Lenny, the council’s director of public health, said: “This app will help us understand how the virus is spreading in our area so that we can respond quickly to stop it spreading further and save lives.”