The COVID-19 stats for Ireland (as of today 8th July) are 25,542 confirmed cases. 1,738 Deaths. And so for very good reason our government has invested time and money (circa €850K) into the development, testing and launching of the COVID Tracker App. It’s entire purpose being of course to PROTECT US.
This Contact Tracing App is intended to be part of our armoury, along side social distancing, hand hygiene, etc as we continue our battle against the Corona Virus here in Ireland. It is a FREE App and is available from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.
Why did our Government develop the COVID Tracker App?
Very simply, this Contact Tracing App will help us to protect each other and slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ireland.
Using the COVID Tracker app along with the existing public health measures will help us all stay safe when we meet up, socialise, work or travel.
What is considered a ‘Contact’?
According to the terms and conditions of the app, it determines a contact as anyone who has been closer than two metres from you for more than 15 minutes.
So what does the COVID Tracker do?
The app can:
- alert you if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
- advise you on what to do to protect yourself and others
- alert other app users that you were in close contact with, if you test positive for COVID-19
- check in on daily symptoms. (The App is also a Symptom Tracker)
How does it do all this?
The HSE’s contact tracing app, developed by Waterford company Nearform, uses your phone’s bluetooth connection to keep a log of any close contacts. That list is compiled using beacons that are identified by a string of numbers that change every 10 to 20 minutes.
If two phones are in close contact, they exchange their active ID, and that list is stored on phones for 14 days. To help protect privacy, the beacons are random and are not tied to a user’s identity.
The Symptom Tracker
The Irish Times’, Ciara O’Brien wrote a detailed article in which she explains that after Contact Tracing, “The second function is the symptom tracker. The Covid check-in asks for some data – age group, location and so on, all of which are optional – and how you are feeling.
Select the “I’m not feeling well today” option and the app will walk you through a few questions, asking if you have a fever of more than 38 degrees, any type of cough, difficulty in breathing or loss of sense of taste or smell. If you have symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat, the app advises you to behave as if you have coronavirus and to self isolate for 14 days.
Read the full Irish Times article
TASK 15
Will This Tracker help to keep you safe? YES!
Should you download the App? YES!
We are all responsible for our own wellbeing and we have all suffered so much personally and in our working lives since COVID-19 came to town. We must act responsibly and we must do everything that we possibly can do to protect ourselves and each other.
For the past few weeks we have been giving you some TASKs to do. Initially, they were in preparation for our collective return to work and now, they are in support of you, your business, your clients and your team now that you are back at work.
As today’s TASK, if you haven’t done so already, we strongly recommend that you take the time to download the App. We are in this together and together we will take back control from COVID-19.
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