Albany, NY (WBEN) Governor Cuomo releases a new smartphone app that can help with whether you've been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID19.
"It's called COVIDAlert," says Cuomo. "What this app will do is it will tell you if you were within six feet of a person who tested positive, and if you were within six feet of that person for ten minutes. "
Cuomo says the app works from your cellphone data. "The app knows where your cellphone is, the app will know where a person who tested positive is through the cellphone, and the app can tell you if you were within six feet of that person," explains Cuomo.
Cuomo says those who test positive for coronavirus is asked by the DOH if they have a smartphone, and gives them a password. He says those people type in that password, and any other cell phone within six feet is marked in the app. "It doesn't give names or privacy information. It's voluntary, you have to download the app, but it's a great tool if you happen to be within six feet of a person who tests positive," says Cuomo.
Cuomo says this will also be available for New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware residents with Connecticut soon to join in.