Contact Tracing App Coming To Alabama

Breken Terry explains how the contract tracing app will work.

>>> thank you for joining us tonight.

I'm najahe sherman.

Dan shaffer is off.

We are waiting for an app to help trace coronavirus in alabama.

Today governor kay ivey announced the state teamed with apple and google on an exposure notification system.

There's no app to help the health department track the virus.

Waay 31's breken terry shows us how the system will work once it's ready.

Breken?

>> once that app is ready you will have to go into your phone and change your privacy settings.

Now, both google and apple say that once you opt into this tracing system no one can trace you without your consent.

It's this time of privacy concern that is slowing down an app that could essentially track the coronavirus but here is a graphic from apple and google on how the app would work.

Even though google and apple are involved, the app would be created by the public department of health.

You would have to download it and give the app permission to use your bluetooth.

If you test positive you enter that information into the app use that bluetooth tech.

It alerts anyone you've been and in the last 14 days that they could have been possibly exposed.

The state told waay 31 it began considering technology to help trace the coronavirus because they currently have 130 contact tracers who are tracing on top of their normal work duties at the department of public health.

This will some work off of their plates and be easier to use.

Ivy said other states like north dakota and south carolina will start using the app, too.

>> and hopefully this will become an important tool in the toolkit to slow the spread of virus.

By using what almost every alabamian has in their pocket a cellphone.

>>: now it's unclear when the app will be ready for people in alabama to download.

We're waiting to hear back from the department of public health on when they start to finish it.

But again, you will have to download that app and actually give your consent and you can actually turn off those locations once you even download it if you don't want them to know your location.