COVIDaware MN is an app that notifies you if you’ve been near someone who tested positive for COVID-19. If you test positive, you can use the app to anonymously notify anyone you’ve been near. COVIDaware MN is free through the App store and Google Play, and it doesn't track your location or share your identity.
The more people who download the app, the better it works. Help your community stay safe. Download COVIDaware MN. www.covidawaremn.com.
1) Download the app
Get the free app from the iPhone App Store or the Android Google Play Store. Find links and more information at covidawaremn.com.
2) Activate it
Follow the prompts to enable notifications and proximity tracing. You must enable these so your phone can use Bluetooth Low Energy to keep track of your daily encounters anonymously, even when you don’t have the app open.
3) You’re all set!
The app will work in the background to check for positive COVID-19 cases every day. It will notify you when you may have crossed paths with someone who reports a positive COVID-19 test result in the app.
It's secure. It's voluntary. It's anonymous.
How it works
If you are exposed to others with a positive COVID-19 test result
Once you activate the app, it will start generating an anonymous key for your phone. The “key” is a random number that changes every 10-20 minutes to ensure that you and your location cannot be identified by anyone.
On a daily basis, your phone downloads a list of all the anonymous keys associated with positive COVID-19 cases, and checks them against the list of random keys your phone has encountered in the last 14 days.
If you have been near someone who reports testing positive, you will get a notification that says you have been exposed, or you can check for exposures anytime in the app. The app will provide links to steps you can follow to keep you and the people around you safe.
If you receive a positive COVID-19 test
All testing facilities report positive test results to the Minnesota Department of Health.
You will get a phone call from an authorized representative of the Minnesota Department of Health.
They will ask if you are using COVIDaware MN. If you are, the representative will ask for your email or phone number to send you a verification code to enter into the app.
When you enter the verification code in COVIDaware MN, the app will send an anonymous notification to people who were around you while you were infectious.