Governor Jay Inslee announced the launch of a tool that will help the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) track the spread of the coronavirus by notifying users if they have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
In a November 30 press conference, Inslee said 200,000 Washington residents had already signed-up for WA Notify.
WA Notify is an anonymous exposure notification tool that will alert users if they spent time near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for Covid-19, according to a November 30 press release.
This tool was developed by the Governor’s Office in partnership with DOH, Google and Apple with leadership from the University of Washington.
“Secure, private and anonymous exposure notification technology is an important tool for Washington,” Inslee said in a press conference on Monday. “We’ve deployed WA Notify in 29 languages so as many Washington residents as possible can protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. I encourage everyone to start using WA Notify today so we can continue to work together to contain this virus.”
Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said that the tool can work in addition to wearing masks and social distancing.
The tool is free and can be enabled in iPhone settings or, for Android phones, downloaded as an app from the Google Play Store.
To enable on an iPhone:
Go to Settings
Scroll down to “Exposure
Notifications”
Click “Turn On Exposure
Notifications”
Select “United States”
Select “Washington”
When a user is notified that they may have been exposed to Covid-19, they will be provided with links with information about what to do next to protect themself and others, the governor said.
The identity of the person who tested positive or where the exposure may have occurred will not be provided.
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