Can technology help us to fight the coronavirus pandemic? EU Members States, supported by the Commission, have developed an EU toolbox. These are software mobile applications for contact tracing and warning in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Do you believe a European App could be a common coordinated approach to support the gradual lifting of confinement measures? How can we use technology to fight the coronavirus? #eudebates #coronavirusitalla #Covid_19 #coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak #Corona #COVD19 #Health #EUCO #COVID #Eurogroup #EXITstrategy #Economy #Eurobond #Eurobonds
Contact tracing and warning can play an important role in all phases of the outbreak especially as part of containment measures during de-escalation scenarios. Its impact can be boosted by a strategy supporting wider testing of persons showing mild symptoms. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Member States, backed by the Commission, have been assessing the effectiveness, security, privacy, and data protection aspects of digital solutions to address the crisis.
Can technology help us to fight the Coronavirus pandemic?
Contact tracing apps
Contact tracing apps, if fully compliant with EU rules and well coordinated, can play a key role in all phases of crisis management, especially when time will be ripe to gradually lift social distancing measures. They can complement existing manual contact tracing and help interrupt the transmission chain of the virus.The toolbox is accompanied by guidance on data protection for such mobile apps, which is also published.
EU toolbox – Coronavirus Tracking
What’s happening in Europe?
The toolbox reflects the latest best practices in the use of mobile contact tracing and warning apps to tackling the crisis. It is part of an ongoing process where Member States work together to devise and refine in the coming weeks and months the use of this and other practical tools. This first version will be further enriched in light of the experiences of Member States.
Digital tools such as mobile apps with tracing functionalities can be of substantial support in this process, identifying both known and unknown contacts of a confirmed case and possibly help in their follow up, in particular in settings with large numbers of cases where public health authorities can get overwhelmed. Such functionalities can help identify more contacts and speed up the overall process substantially, which is of essence in this pandemic. The functionality in such apps, if rolled out on a large scale so that they reach well over 50% of the population, could be useful for Member States to rapidly detect contacts of cases, collect information on these contacts and to inform contacts on the need for follow-up and testing if required. In addition, the apps can provide contacts of COVID-19 cases with the information on how to reduce the risk of further transmission and advice on what to do if they develop symptoms.
Coronavirus Tracking Apps
By 30 April 2020, public health authorities will assess the effectiveness of the apps at national and cross-border level. Member States should report on their actions by 31 May 2020 and make the measures accessible to other Member States and the Commission for peer review. The Commission will assess the progress made and publish periodic reports starting in June 2020 and throughout the crisis, recommending action or the phasing out of measures that seem no longer necessary.
Welcoming the toolbox, Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said: “Contact tracing apps to limit the spread of coronavirus can be useful, especially as part of Member States’ exit strategies. However, strong privacy safeguards are a pre-requisite for the uptake of these apps, and therefore their usefulness.”
While we should be innovative and make the best use of technology in fighting the pandemic, we will not compromise on our values and privacy requirements.
Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides added: “Digital tools will be crucial to protect our citizens as we gradually lift confinement measures. Mobile apps can warn us of infection risks and support health authorities with contact tracing, which is essential to break transmission chains. We need to be diligent, creative, and flexible in our approaches to opening up our societies again. We need to continue to flatten the curve – and keep it down.”
Without safe and compliant digital technologies, our approach will not be efficient.
Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
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