Authorities unveil contact tracing app for virus

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has rolled out a contact tracing app named “TraceEkee” to assist in the contact tracing work of the authorities regarding the COVID-19 virus.

The app is designed to identify positive cases of the virus and locations of possible contact and utilizes Bluetooth signals to identify such situations of contact.

The app sends out a beacon a few times every minute which includes an ID of the app user. The ID changes accordingly every 15 minutes maintaining anonymity. The app stores a record of the beacon.

HPA stated that the information stored would not be automatically forwarded to the agency and does not include storage of any private or personal such as location. The agency revealed its policy regarding the application on its website for public viewing purposes.

✳️ We have now launched our contact tracing app — TraceEkee.

TraceEkee supports the efforts to mitigate community spread of Covid-19 in the Maldives through community-driven detailed contact tracing.

Note: iOS app to be launched soon.https://t.co/xHKtbjKDus

— Health Protection Agency (@HPA_MV) April 29, 2020

If a suspected person is identified, the agency would contact the individual and request to upload the necessary information. The data will be uploaded after the user consents to it. After decryption, the data will enable the authorities to see possible contacts of the individual and the high-risk contacts.

Such applications are widely being utilized in the fight against the virus throughout the world. However, the app is still dependent upon the number of people who have downloaded it. HPA stressed the importance of those who are outdoors for different purposes and their usage of the application.

The agency has stated that thousands of people have been identified from its contract tracing work but requested the help and assistance of the public after challenges were posed. Due to the introduction of the app, the whole procedure is expected to be more convenient and smoother.

The app is currently available on Google Play Store with an App Store version for IOS users soon to come.