Virginia has rolled out a smartphone app to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.
It's the first U.S. state to use new pandemic technology created by Apple and Google.
The Covidwise app was available on the tech giants’ app stores Wednesday ahead of an expected announcement from Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.
It comes nearly four months after Apple and Google said they were partnering on creating app-building software for public health agencies trying to contain the spread of the pandemic. Canada and a number of European countries have already rolled out apps using the tech companies’ framework.
Click here for more information about the COVIDWISE app
The Covidwise app uses Bluetooth signals to measure the distance and the amount of time a user is in contact with other people with the same app.
When a person is given a positive COVID-19 diagnosis from the health department, they’ll also get a randomized key number to enter into the app. They’ll be encouraged, though not required, to share an anonymous notification with other users. If they do, other users who have been in close contact during the previous two weeks will get a notification of potential exposure and information about what health actions to take.
Jeff Stover with the Virginia Department of Health stresses the app is completely voluntary and does not use GPS location data or personally identifiable information. "For the purpose of this app, there wasn’t an absolute need to be able to track where or who you are. The most important thing is to know if you’ve been potentially exposed," Stover said during a briefing with reporters Wednesday.
Other states have rolled out apps that rely on location data and they have been less successful, according to Virginia officials.
