Health officials urge residents to use contact tracing app

As it debuts, officials say state’s new contact tracing and disease monitoring app could help slow surge

SANTA CRUZ >> Just prior to the CA Notify app launch Thursday, Santa Cruz County Health Director Mimi Hall encouraged residents to download and use it to help save lives.

“The more people download and use this app, the more helpful it is to our efforts to contain this disease,” Hall said in a prepared statement. “Our contact tracers are stretched thin, and every day counts when it comes to alerting others of a possible exposure so that they may begin quarantine and protect those around them.”

CA Notify, a development announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, is a free tool available to those with Androids and iPhones. The app will be used to help public health officials like those who work at the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency monitor coronavirus transmission.

Once installed with Bluetooth capabilities enabled, the app alerts individuals as to whether close contacts have exposed them to someone that has tested positively for the virus. With the power of information, those individuals can immediately begin to quarantine and seek testing themselves to slow the surge.

According to the state-level page dedicated to CA Notify, privacy of users is protected as their identity is unknown and location is untracked. One’s name, contact information, movements or the identity of people they meet are not gathered.

The app relies on 21st century technology. For example, if two people come within 6 feet of each other for 15 minutes or more within a day, their phones will exchange “keys” or anonymous, randomly chosen numbers that log that interaction. If one person later tests positive

and agrees to share the information with CA Notify, the other person will receive an alert less than one day later that they have been exposed.

“That notification will include instructions on who to contact and what to do next,” the explanation around exposure notifications clarifies.

This app is not a substitute for following social distancing mandates and other proven mitigation tactics around COVID-19, such as wearing a mask or washing your hands. The state says in its explanation that the app is “an added layer of protection for you and your community.”

For more information about the app, visit canotif y. ca. gov. For details on local coronavirus response, including guidelines for individuals and businesses, visit santacruzhealth.org.