HARRISBURG, Pa. — Editor's Note: The above video is from Sept. 22.
Governor Tom Wolf on Friday announced that Pennsylvanians can now use the state's COVID-19 app when they travel to New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Those who download the app can receive notifications from another user if they are exposed to COVID-19 when they travel to those states, Wolf said.
“COVID Alert PA works with COVID Alert NJ, COVID Alert NY and COVID Alert DE, so anyone who has the app in these four states can get a notification from another user if they tested positive for COVID-19,” Wolf said in a press release. “States throughout the region have been working together to combat this pandemic, and this is one more tool for our interstate cooperation.
"Pennsylvanians stand united with our neighbors in adding our phones to the fight to stop COVID-19.”
COVID Alert PA is a free, voluntary mobile app developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in partnership with NearForm, University of Pennsylvania and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. It uses the Apple and Google Exposure Notification System.
The app’s features include an interactive COVID-19 symptom checker, alerts of potential exposures to the virus, updates on the latest public health data about COVID-19 in PA and public health guidance for what to do if you have a potential exposure to COVID-19.
The app is designed with privacy at the forefront, according to the Wolf administration. It does not use GPS, location services or any movement or geographical information. It will never collect, transmit or store personal information. It is completely anonymous, Wolf said.
COVID Alert PA will continue to exchange anonymous Bluetooth keys with other app users, including outside of Pennsylvania. The Exposure Notification System will only work if the state that you are traveling to also has an exposure notification mobile app interoperable through Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), like the states of Delaware, New York and New Jersey.
The partnership with Delaware, New York and New Jersey will further raise awareness about the use and effectiveness of this critical technology. More than 180,000 Pennsylvanians have downloaded COVID Alert PA since it launched on September 22. In addition, Delaware has more than 30,000 downloads. Pennsylvania will continue to collaborate with Delaware, New Jersey and New York as they promote their newly launched mobile apps.
The more people who download the app, the more effective it will be in helping to stop the spread of COVID. The app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “COVID Alert PA.”
Find more information on the COVID Alert PA app here.