The Prime Minister has confirmed there will be a mobile contact tracing app for COVID-19. The use of the app will notify users if they have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Trudeau said the app will be completely voluntary but will work best when more people have it.
“It will be up to individual Canadians to decide whether to download the app or not,” said the Prime Minister. “The app will be most effective when as many people as possible have it.”
British Columbia is working with the federal government on the app, while it will be also tested in Ontario. Justin Trudeau said it will be available to the rest of the country in the coming weeks.
Trudeau said the app is a “crucial” public health measure as Canada begins to reopen and people move around more freely. Trudeau noted the app is something that can be downloaded, works in your phone’s background, and requires the user to do nothing else.
“This is an app that you can download and forget about,” said Trudeau.