The Ontario government is installing COVID Alert on government employees’ smartphones, as the province looks to increase the app’s usage.
CTV News reports that COVID Alert will be remote installed on over 35,000 government-issued smartphones. Sources in the Ford government have said that usage of the app will still be voluntary.
Employees have the option to authorize the exposure notification settings or delete the app altogether. The sources note that the government is hoping other crown agencies, like the Ontario Power Generation and the LCBO, will also remote-install the app onto company-issued phones.
This move from the provincial government comes as Toronto took a similar step and installed COVID Alert onto 9,200 smartphones managed by the city.
COVID Alert launched on July 31st and has been downloaded more than four million times. Despite pleas from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government officials, uptake has been slow.
The app is fully functional in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, P.E.I. and Quebec. It is expected to roll out in British Columbia and Nova Scotia soon.
If you have not downloaded COVID Alert yet, you can do so for free on both iOS and Android.
Source: CTV News
