Germany’s government launches contact-tracing smartphone app

Germany appealed to the public on Tuesday to download a new smartphone app to help break the chain of coronavirus infections.

The Corona-Warn-App, now available for Apple and Android devices, uses Bluetooth short-range radio to measure close contacts between people and issues a warning should one of them later test positive for Covid-19, Reuters reported.

“This app isn’t a cure-all. It’s not a free pass. But it’s an important additional tool for containing the pandemic,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

European governments hope such apps will help revive travel and tourism safely. In a move coinciding with the German launch, European Union members agreed technical standards for national apps to ‘talk’ to each other. Officials believe this could make it possible to better trace infections across borders.