Everyone in Spain is being encouraged to download the Radar Covid app which tracks contacts and warns those affected.
President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has said today: “Technology can also save lives if it is employed to face a challenge like the one we have before us. That’s why we have promoted the Radar Covid App.
He makes this call as infections spiked by more than 7,000 nationally yesterday.
The App is already available in the region of Murcia and has also been recommended by Calasparra Town Hall.
Radar Covid has been available to download from app stores for several weeks now. It helps track contacts at risk of contagion by using a cellphone’s Bluetooth system. When the handsets of two users are next to each other for at least 15 minutes within a two-meter distance, a file is exchanged via Bluetooth that is saved for 14 days. If a person tests positive for Covid-19, the doctor or contact tracer issues them a random alphanumeric number. When the patient introduces this number into the app – which is done voluntarily – all users who have been in close contact with them will receive an alert. The app revises these codes twice a day to check for updates. At no point is the identity of the patient revealed.
Installing Covid Radar is a simple process. Users need to download the app (Google Play Store for Android cellphones, Apple App Store for iOS cellphones), accept the privacy policy and activate their handset’s Bluetooth system.
A person who tests positive for Covid-19 can use the app to anonymously warn close contacts of the risk of infection. They can also check their own level of risk and receive alerts if they have been exposed to the virus.
