Similar tracking apps have proven effective in stemming the spread of COVID-19 in China, Korea, Singapore, and the UK.
Rabat – Morocco has commenced the development of a mobile application that tracks COVID-19 carriers to identify potential infections.
The Ministry of Interior, in coordination with the ministries of health and industry, has entrusted the app development to the Digital Development Agency (ADD). The agency won the ministries’ calls for tenders, which received six other bids.
The mobile application is set to launch at the end of April. In addition to tracking, the tool will also enable the ministries of health and the interior to identify individuals who made contact with COVID-19 patients over the past 21 days to protect at-risk individuals.
People can only be tracked if they have the application installed on their phones.
In the event of confirming a COVID-19 infection, the app will automatically cross-check patients’ interactions with or proximity to other users.
Read also: Local Jail Reports 5 COVID-19 Infections, First Cases in a Moroccan Prison
Users who have made contact with the contaminated person will receive a push notification or a text message advising them to self-isolate. The app will also inform the user that they will be contacted to undergo a screening test.
The government is betting on the app to facilitate the gradual de-confinement of regions. People who live within cleared regions will have digital movement authorization under the form of a QR code.
The app is set to provide guidance on navigating high-risk zones, identifying and locating potential COVID-19 carriers, and deliver real-time updates on the pandemic’s developments.
Official statements, COVID-19 related news, and fake news alerts will all appear on the users’ phone as notifications.
Similar tracking apps have proven effective in stemming the spread of COVID-19 and following the health situation of citizens in a number of countries, including China, Korea, Singapore, and the UK.
