Spain To Follow Other European Countries For Its New Coronavirus Tracing App

On Wednesday, after Germany, Spain is ready to start a trial of its new smartphone app. Through this app the government will focus on stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus on one of the Canary Islands, authorities said.

The country will use Europe’s latest scheme of using Bluetooth technology. If any of them test positive for the virus will start in late June, it will log contacts between people and send a warning on La Gomera.

In a statement, the archipelago’s government said “The aim is to explore the potential of this mobile tracing application in a real-life scenario.” He further added that the results generated via this app will be used to decide whether they will roll out the app nationwide.

The statement said authorities have committed themselves to promote widespread take-up to improve the reliability of the trial’s findings. According to a recent report, Germany’s app was downloaded more than 6.5 million times after its launch in 24 hours.

Rather than invading people’s privacy by using location data, Spain is following several countries including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, and Latvia by opting to use Bluetooth short-range radio.

Additionally, it will further guard people against intrusion by storing contacts on individual devices, rather than passing through a central server.

The country has been working with a standard developed by Apple and Alphabet Inc’s Google. Their systems run a combined 99% of the world’s smartphones. Spain is keen on apps developed as 12% of its economy stemming from tourism by different countries to be able to communicate smoothly with each other.

 The statement said, “La Gomera was chosen because it is a place where the local population and tourists converge.” After a rigid lockdown, the country has reported a slowing infection rate. This week they have started a controlled tourism scheme for Mallorca, for another sun-soaked island region.