An app to notify Colorado residents if they got close to a person who later tested positive for COVID-19 is delayed, while state officials work with Google and Apple to align it with the state’s guidelines.
Gov. Jared Polis had announced in a press conference on Sept. 8 that the EN (Exposure Notification) Express app would be available by the end of the month. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment didn’t give a new date when the app will become available, but said they were working to have it running as soon as possible.
A state health department spokeswoman said they and the Governor’s Office of Information Technology are working with the two tech companies to make sure the app aligns with public health guidelines and meets the state’s expectations for technical functioning.
The app creates “tokens,” which it exchanges via Bluetooth with nearby phones that also have the app running. If you test positive for the new coronavirus, your local public health department will give you a code to put into the app. It will then notify people who were within six feet of you for 10 minutes or longer that they could have been exposed, but won’t tell them who has the virus.
Android users can download the app, though it isn’t yet functioning in Colorado. Apple users who have the latest software update on their iPhones can opt into exposure notification in their settings, so the app will download when it becomes available.
