Government launches the new Aarogya Setu App to keep a track on the spread of coronavirus by regularly monitoring people’s movements. By Tanvi Jain
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Taking a step forward in the fight against COVID-19, the Government of India has recently released Aarogya Setu App, to help connect people from essential health services, and monitor the spread of deadly coronavirus. The app, that has been created under the National Informatics Centre in partnership with private agencies, has already managed to garner 10 million downloads so far.
So how does it work? Considering the fact that coronavirus spreads from direct contact with an infected person, and from respiratory droplets that remain in the air or on the surface for days, the app has been built in such a way that it monitors your location, scans the government database of the known cases in India, and alerts you if some infected person is within six feet from you, or if the area you are in is a hotspot. The app also estimates if you are at risk of infection, provides a list of instructions on self-isolation, and what to do in case you start showing symptoms and shares information about the suspected cases to the concerned authorities.
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Moreover, in case you test positive or are at risk because of coming in contact with some infected person, then the app sends your details along with that of every person you have come in contact with in the past one month, to the cloud, to be further accessed by the government.
All you need to do is download the app and fill up all the required details such as your contact number, age, gender, and a self-assessment of your health. Once you are registered, the chatbot will keep sending you updates from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other helplines. For the continuous tracking, you need to make sure that your GPS location sharing, and Bluetooth, are always on. While the former will track your real-time location, the latter will occur between devices in close proximity that have installed the same app.
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Urging the citizens to download the app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently tweeted, “Aarogya Setu is an important step in our fight against COVID-19. By leveraging technology, it provides important information. As more and more people use it, it’s effectiveness will increase. I urge you all to download it.”
The app can be downloaded from the following links:
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/aarogyasetu/id1505825357
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nic.goi.aarogyasetu
Related: India Will Now Be Colour Coded Based On COVID-19 Cases And Here’s What You Need To Know
