Californians will receive phone notifications if they have been in contact with COVID-19 patients

Now Californians will be able to receive a notification on the phone about whether they have contacted someone with COVID-19. More details about the new application told KTLA.

Photo: Shutterstock

The new tool, announced by Governor Gavin Newsom, aims to help reduce the spread of the virus as the state is seeing an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations.

The app was developed in collaboration with Google and Apple and does not collect device location data. Instead, it uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes between phones without revealing the identity or location of users.

This only works when people voluntarily activate CA Notify on their phones and don't turn off Bluetooth.

If a CA Notify user tests positive for coronavirus, they will receive a verification code to enter the tool. This will notify other users who have been within 6 feet (1,8 m) of the infected person for at least 15 minutes during the previous two weeks.

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The code will come from the California Department of Health 855-976-8462 after a positive test result.

“Your positive test result will only trigger notifications if you agree to notify others. Even then, your personal information is not collected, stored or transmitted by the system,” it says on CA Notify website.

Residents can enable CA Notify in their iPhone settings or on Android phones by downloading the app from Google Play.

“Every day saved from alerting others to possible exposure is a day that a possibly infectious person can self-quarantine and reduce the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly.

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The tool was previously tested by students and faculty at UC San Diego and UC San Francisco in September and then expanded to include five other UC campuses in mid-November.

More than 250 people are using this technology in a pilot project.

“The process is private, anonymous and secure. It is one of many tools that helps reduce the spread,” Newsom said.

More information on CA Notify can be found at application site.

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