The first contact tracing app powered by Apple and Google has been launched
What you need to know
- The first contact tracing app based on Apple and Google's technology has gone live.
- SwissCovid is now being piloted in Switzerland.
- It is available to several thousand employees at some hospitals, key workers, civil servants, and the army.
The very first contact tracing app powered by Google and Apple's exposure notification APIs has gone live in Switzerland.
FAQ: What is the Google-Apple COVID-19 (coronavirus) Exposure Notifications system?
As announced on Twitter by EPFL yesterday, 'SwissCovid' is now undertaking a large scale pilot, with hopes that it will pave the way for public availability by mid-June.
As of today, employees at @EPFL, @ETH_en, @vbs_ddps and some hospitals and cantonal administrations can download the digital proximity tracing application #SwissCovid. This large-scale pilot paves the way for public availability by mid-June. https://t.co/E9hl43g8Ca #COVID19 #DP3T pic.twitter.com/Yqrags7zMgAs of today, employees at @EPFL, @ETH_en, @vbs_ddps and some hospitals and cantonal administrations can download the digital proximity tracing application #SwissCovid. This large-scale pilot paves the way for public availability by mid-June. https://t.co/E9hl43g8Ca #COVID19 #DP3T pic.twitter.com/Yqrags7zMg— EPFL (@EPFL_en) May 25, 2020May 25, 2020
In an announcement the institute stated:
One important footnote is that whilst the pilot is ongoing, the Swiss parliament will deliberate revisions to the law on epidemics. MPs must debate and approve the scheme before it is offered to the public, however recent research has suggested that as many as 70% of Swiss residents support the scheme.
This is the first large-scale testing of an app that uses Apple and Google's exposure notification technology. As per the two companies' stipulations, the operation is also decentralized:
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