Tracing App Now ‘Fully Functional’

CANBERRA: Deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly says the Federal Government’s coronavirus tracing app is working, after all states and territories signed up to allow its use.

Kelly noted that 5.6 million Australians had now downloaded the Covid Safe app, giving health authorities nation-wide access to the data. Australia’s states and territories have also worked out privacy and security rules covering the app.

“I can announce the app is fully functional. It is ready to go, all the states and territories have now signed up to use it. They have provided information about who in their public health units will be using it,” Kelly said.

Until now information collected by the app has not been available to state and territory health officials because there was no overall decision on how the app would operate.

Those hurdles have now been overcome and issues over privacy and data security have been taken care of, Kelly said.