ICYMI: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Launches First Bluetooth App to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

Gov. Northam: “We must continue to fight COVID-19 from every possible angle.”

With a lack of leadership at the national level, Democratic governors are getting creative in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Virginia will be launching an app, COVIDWISE, which will alert users if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Virginia is the first state in the country to design a COVID-19 app using Bluetooth Low Energy technology developed by Apple and Google. And Virginians can rest easy – no location data or personal information will be collected, stored, tracked, or transmitted to the Virginia Department of Health as part of the app.

The state will be launching a public information campaign to encourage Virginians to download the app.

Read more about Gov. Northam’s historic new technology below:

Associated Press: Virginia first to roll out pandemic app from Apple, Google

Virginia has rolled out a smartphone app to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus, becoming the first U.S. state to use new pandemic technology created by Apple and Google.

The free Covidwise app is available in Apple and Android app stores as of Wednesday. State officials, who emphasized that the app doesn’t track user location or collect personal information, announced public campaigns encouraging people to download and use it.

“We’re using every possible approach to fight this virus and keep Virginians healthy,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a prepared statement provided to The Associated Press.

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