COVID Alert App Exposure Notification Closes Gravenhurst Service Ontario Office

Gravenhurst service ontario

Canada’s COVID Alert app sent out an exposure notification to a Service Ontario employee at the Gravenhurst Service Ontario office and as a precaution, the office was shut down.

According to Muskoka Region, the office operated by the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce will be temporarily closed immediately. The office is located at 275 Muskoka Road South in Gravenhurst, Ontario.

“This is a great example of the effectiveness of the Government of Canada’s tracing app,” says Sandy Lockhart, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. “We would encourage all business owners and residents of Gravenhurst to do their part and download the app today.”

The potentially exposed employee is being tested for COVID-19 and the Chamber is in talks with the local health unit.

COVID Alert works for iOS and Android phones, allowing for anonymous digital “handshakes” in the background using Bluetooth. No GPS data is collected, or names, location or device phone numbers of users of the app, which is open source and has been vetted by federal and provincial privacy commissioners. Someone who tests positive for COVID-19 can choose to alert others anonymously via COVID Alert, after obtaining a one-time use key from their health authority.

When Apple releases iOS 13.7, it will include the integration of its COVID-19 Exposure Notification framework, meaning users will not need to download COVID Alert and will be able to turn on alerts within their iPhone settings.

Despite only Ontario supporting COVID Alert, the app still works for users to be alerted even if their local health authority does not support it.

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