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COVID-19 Contact Tracing Illustration
As COVID-19 levels hit record highs across the state, Governor Walz is expected to announce a new app and website this afternoon to help mitigate the spread of the virus.
COVIDaware MN's app is designed to alert Minnesotans if they come into contact for more than 15 minutes with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 up to two weeks after initial contact with the infected person. The app is completely anonymous, and won’t collect or store location, data, or anything else that could be used to identify an individual.
The website is currently live, and Minnesotans can download the app from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. After downloading, users need to opt in to receive alerts. Because the app uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology, the app operates in the background, and users don’t need to keep it open to receive alerts.
Once users opt in, they’ll receive a privacy-protecting “random key” that’ll change multiple times an hour, ensuring that users' location and identity can’t be traced. According to the website, “On a daily basis, your phone downloads a list of all the anonymous keys associated with positive COVID-19 cases and checks them against the list of random keys your phone has encountered in the last 14 days.”
When someone tests positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health will give them a code to put into their app. The app alerts users who’ve been within 6-feet of those who test positive for more than 15 minutes. The app also takes into account if a Minnesotan is exposed to multiple people with positive COVID-19 tests during its calculations.
COVIDaware MN recommends anyone who’s exposed to COVID-19 to follow the Minnesota Department of Health’s guidelines and get tested.
“When Minnesotans decide to download and use COVIDaware MN, they are helping others in the community make informed decisions about their health and are playing their part to slow the spread of the virus,” the website says. “The more individuals that download the app, the better we can inform our community about potential exposures.”
