Washington State now has a tool that can send an alert to your smartphone to notify you that you’ve been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.
We know masks, distancing and limiting interactions slow COVID-19's spread.
Today, we’re announcing a new tool – WA Notify.
It’s an anonymous exposure notification tool that alerts you if you spent time near another user who tests positive for COVID-19.https://t.co/nWfUhFdd4n
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) November 30, 2020
In a statement released on Medium, the state writes that:
WA Notify uses privacy-preserving technology jointly developed by Google and Apple and works without collecting or revealing any location or personal data.
As with any app you need to download this feature and set up notifications.
Governor Jay Inslee said:
“We’ve deployed WA Notify in 29 languages so as many Washington residents as possible can protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. I encourage everyone to start using WA Notify today so we can continue to work together to contain this virus.”
Didn’t expect iphone covid alerts to be enabled in Washington for a few weeks yet, but here we are. pic.twitter.com/wzeZlts6Yk
— Derrick Nunnally (@dcnunnally) November 30, 2020
Watch more above from the Washington State Department of Health.