Stay safe with a COVID-19 tracking app by Indian Government
The world is officially closed due to coronavirus outbreak. No more gatherings outside. Everyone is staying home. Social distancing has become a motto of current time. However, thanks to the new technology we can stay united digitally. And Indian Government made a step forward to become closer to its people as well as unite everyone in this global fight against COVID-19. The new APP – Aarogya Setu – is a versatile informative anti-corona weapon aimed to spread awareness about the novel coronavirus, warn and protect users of the possible infection threat.
How it works
1. Aarogya Setu uses the information the users enter about themselves during the setting up process. Thus, the accuracy of it depends a lot on our honesty. We request everyone to provide reliable information if you are using the app and want to protect yourself and others from coronavirus.
2. The application requires an active bluetooth connection and access to your location. These functions will be automatically turned on in your device whe you run the app.
3. The application catches the information entered by the users in your proximity and warns you about possible threats and risks of being infected.
Aarogya Setu overview
Technical requirements
The app is totally FREE and available for iOS and Android devices. Minimum requirements are iOS 10.3 and Android 6.0. You can download Aarogya Setu either from GooglePlay for Android-based devices or from App Store for iOS devices.
Setting up
Download the app and open it.
After the welcoming screen you will be asked to choose a language from a list of 11 Indian languages. Then you will see some introductory slides explaining the aim of the app and some instructions how to use it and how it works. Read carefully, the provided informtion is important. On the last slide tap the button “Register Now” to get access to all the functions.
Registering
As we have mentioned above, Aarogya Setu is absolutely free, however, to use it you will be required to enter your mobile number. In responce you’ll get a 6-digit OTP which you will have to enter in the field in order to confirm the provided mobile number.
Your mobile number will be used by the government authorities to warn you in case you’ve been detected to be in a possible contact with an infected person even if you were not aware of it.
Questionnaire
Once you are registered with your mobile number the next step takes you to fill a short questionnaire. And here you should provide real information about yourself. It is not a game, so take it seriously and with full responsibility for the consequences.
Features
- Risk status. After providing your personal information you will see the level of the risk you are in. It is based on the personal details you entered on the previous step and on the other personal details enetered by users in your close proximity detected by the app. The app remembers all the contacts around you for 14 days. And if anyone within this period comes in risk, you wil be warned.
- Useful information on COVID-19 and precautious measures. In case of emergency just tap the button “COVID-19 Helpcenters” and choose from the list of provided numbers the closest to you. The application also includes PDF-files with the general informatin about COVID-19 and the preventive measures you can undertake to protect yourself, your family and your community from being infected.
- Ministry of Health Twitter updates. Stay in touch with the latest news from the main healthcare government authority. The feed with the latest tweets fri the Indian Ministry of Health is placed last in the app’s main screen.
- Self-Assessment Test. It is a short questionnaire aimed to detect wheter you could be in a potential risk of catching coronavirus. It is requested to provide reliable information as the details are used to assess risks not only for you but also for other users in your proximity.
Editor’s opinion: Aarogya Setu is a great intiative by the Indian Government to deal with coronavirus. It is an attempt to unite the nation in a common fight against COVID-19. So let’s help and protect each other honestly and responsibly. Every user is valuable. It is not possible for authorities to visit each of us in such a populated country, but digitally we can try to make it possibe to let the Government access our data and use it for the best of the nation.