CONNECTICUT, USA — Governor Ned Lamont's office announced the launch of a new COVID-19 exposure notification app Thursday.
The app is called COVID Alert CT and is available for Apple and Android mobile devices. The Governor's office says it will be able to tell users if they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, without sharing any personal information.
The app works by first downloading it to your phone. For instructions on how to do that step, click here. The app uses Bluetooth to sense whether the user's device has been within six feet of someone who tested positive for the virus for a total of 15 minutes or more in a day. If the user has been near such a person and they are also using the app on their phone, an alert will be sent to notify the user of potential exposure. A notification will not be sent if two devices pass each other for a short amount of time or stay more than six feet away.
“We’re making every effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “This app is another tool to make sure that every resident of our state has what they need to combat this pandemic from the ground up. This app also complements – but doesn’t replace – our broader contact tracing program, which is an invaluable resource in combating the pandemic and ensuring those who need it have the tools necessary to self-isolate or quarantine.”
If a user tests positive, a contact tracer, their local health department, or higher education institution will ask if they are willing to share "close contact" codes their app has logged while they may have been contagious. If the person agrees, they will be sent a verification code. After the code is submitted, the app will send a notification to everyone who also has an app who came within six feet for more than 15 minutes they were in contact with someone who has COVID-19. The Governor's office reiterated sharing this status is secure and private. It will never reveal who the user is to anyone else.
“Contact tracing is a critical part of the public health response to COVID-19,” Connecticut’s Acting Public Health Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. “Any effort to supplement that program could be a crucial step in stopping the spread of the virus. If even one person is in touch with a contact tracer and discusses their contacts for the past 14 days, it could result in a chain reaction that stops dozens or more from getting infected.”
For more information click here.