The COVID Alert app is seen on a phone in Ottawa, on July 31, 2020.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Nova Scotia is the latest province to adopt the federal government’s COVID-19 exposure-notification app for smartphones.
Premier Stephen McNeil said today in a news release Nova Scotians can immediately download the free and voluntary application onto their phones.
Health authorities will give people who test positive for COVID-19 a unique code to input into the application.
The COVID Alert app will then notify anyone who has been within two metres of the infected person for at least 15 minutes.
Health officials say COVID Alert does not collect personal or health information and doesn’t track the location, name, or contacts of users.
Nova Scotia is the last Atlantic province to adopt the federal app, which it says has been downloaded by more than four million Canadians.
McNeil said his province has shown a “steadfast commitment” to flattening the curve and keeping COVID transmission low.
“As we learn to live with the virus, COVID Alert is another tool that will help keep ourselves and our communities safe and healthy.”
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