Apple, Google join forces on COVID-19 contact-tracing

Information for tenants and landlords

Apple Inc. and Google unveiled a rare partnership to add technology to their smartphone platforms that will alert users if they have come into contact with a person with COVID-19. People must opt in to the system, but it has the potential to monitor about a third of the world’s population.

The technology, known as contact-tracing, is designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus by telling users they should quarantine or isolate themselves after contact with an infected individual.

The Silicon Valley rivals said on Friday that they are building the technology into their iOS and Android operating systems in two steps. In mid-May, the companies will add the ability for iPhones and Android phones to wirelessly exchange anonymous information via apps run by public health authorities. The companies will also release frameworks for public health apps to manage the functionality.

This means that if a user tests positive for COVID-19, and adds that data to their public health app, users who they came into close proximity with over the previous several days will be notified of their contact. This period could be 14 days, but health agencies can set the time range.

The second step takes longer. In the coming months, both companies will add the technology directly into their operating systems so this contact-tracing software works without having to download an app. Users must opt in, but this approach means many more people can be included. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android have about three billion users between them.

Still, this technology is controversial because it involves sharing sensitive health information from billions of people via mobile devices that are constantly broadcasting their location. Apple and Google stressed on Friday that their system preserves users’ privacy. Consent is required and location data is not collected. The technology also won’t notify users who they came into contact with, or where that happened. The companies said they can’t see this data either, and noted that the whole system can be shut down when needed.

The pandemic has killed almost 100,000 and infected 1.62 million people. Governments have ordered millions of people to stay home, sending the global economy into a vicious tailspin. Pressure is building to relax these measures and get the world back to work. Contract-tracing is a key part of this because it can help authorities contain a potential resurgence of the virus as people resume regular activities.

The contract-tracing technology isn’t the first step against COVID-19 for either company. Google launched an information website in March, while Apple has released its own screening tools for iPhone users. Apple has also donated over 20 million masks to health-care workers and has designed face shields, and Verily, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., is running virus-testing sites in some parts of California.

Other organizations are also working on contact-tracing. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology earlier this week announced plans for a similar system. Some countries and third-party developers have also tried implementing contact-tracing on phones, but they have faced privacy and connectivity issues that the new system is designed to avoid. Bloomberg

Q: Because of the closure of yet more businesses by the Ontario government, I’ve been sent home to work from my highrise apartment instead of working from my office. What steps should I take to keep safe while I work from home?

A: You should maintain social distancing, even in your building. Only take the elevator with another person if you can stay two metres away from that person. In a building with a small elevator that means waiting for an empty elevator or taking the stairs.

Keep your hands away from your face by avoiding rubbing your eyes or touching your mouth. After you come in from the outside, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Some people are using gloves or a paper towel to open door handles or press elevator buttons, since many people touch those during the day.

Public Health authorities also recommend that people clean and disinfect their homes. You can do this with a household cleaner that indicates it contains a disinfectant, or you can use sprays or wipes. If you are using a disinfectant wipe, remember always to throw it into the garbage. Don’t flush it down the toilet. Those wipes can cause blockages in the plumbing system, which is the last thing anyone wants at this time.

While working from home, you should also consider your digital safety. There are a number of COVID -19-related scams going around right now, so be wary of emails from senders you don’t know and websites you haven’t visited before. You should make sure you have antivirus software installed on all your devices, frequently back up your data and review the security of your router, online accounts and electronic devices.

UPDATED INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 BENEFITS

The government programs in response to COVID-19 have been changing from day to day. Since the Rental Guide published one week ago, the government has changed several aspects of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The CERB provides $500 per week to eligible individuals ($2000 over four weeks), as opposed to the $462 per week ($2000 per month) as stated last week.

It is also clear now that if a person’s work ended after March 15, then even if the person’s EI payment would be higher than the CERB, it is the CERB payment that the person is to receive. The

EI maximum would have been $554 per week, whereas the CERB payment is to be $500 per week.

The government has created a questionnaire to help applicants determine whether they should apply for CERB and/or EI at www. canada.ca/coronavirus-cerb. On that page, there is also a link to “questions and answers” with more details on the program.

Prime Minister Trudeau has also said there will soon be changes to the eligibility for CERB to include some part-time workers and others with reduced income, but the details of these changes have not been announced.

The Canada Summer Jobs program is to be expanded. The program will extend the end date for employment to Feb. 28, 2021, include part-time jobs and offer an increased wage subsidy of up to 100 per cent. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) is also to be expanded.