Containing Coronavirus: Central Govt Launches ‘Aarogya Setu’ Mobile App For Covid-19 Tracking

Providing a technical boost to the nation’s fight against novel coronavirus pandemic, the government of India has officially released its Covid-19 tracking app called Aarogya Setu, reports Gadgets Now.

The app has been developed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology . and National Informatics Center (NIC) in just over four days.

As per the App’s description it is aimed at “augmenting the initiatives of the Government of India, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19”.

The app uses smartphone’s location and bluetooth to inform the user if they come within the infection range of a host or carrier of covid-19. Moreover, it would share user data and alert the government in case any person comes in contact with an infected person.

However, the application’s privacy policy clearly states that the user data will not be shared with any third party. The app also has a detailed list of coronavirus helplines for each state. Moreover, the app also has a chatbox where user queries would be answered.

It should be noted that various states have launched their own versions of coronavirus tracking apps in the past week.