COVID-19: UK plans for contact tracing app

The UK has confirmed its plans for developing an app that will warn users if they have been in proximity in recent days to someone suspected to be infected with the virus COVID-19.

The health secretary of government Matt Hancock announced the special move at the daily press briefing in context to pandemic.

He said the National Health Service was "working closely with the world's leading tech companies" on the initiative and trying to make it useful.

The BBC has learned that the health service's digital innovation unit, ‘NHSX’ - will test a pre-release version of app with families at a secure location in the North of England possibly in next week.

At present situation, idea is that those people who have self-diagnosed as having coronavirus will be able to declare their status in the pandemic alert app.

The software will then send a yellow alert to any other users whom they have been close to for a period.

If a medical test confirms that the original user is indeed infected, then a strong warning - a red alert - will be sent, signaling that all other users should go into quarantine till confirmation.

To report being tested positive, the user would have to enter a code, more specifically verification code, which they would receive alongside their Covid-19 disease status.

Mr. Hancock, Health Secretary, signaled that app usage would be voluntary, in the brief comments he made, "If you become unwell with the symptoms of coronavirus, you can securely tell this new NHS app".

"And the app will then send an alert anonymously to other app users that you've been significantly in contact with over the past few days, so that they know and can act accordingly. All the data will be handled and organized according to highest ethical and security standards and would only be used for NHS care and research.

"And we won't hold it any longer than it is needed."