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Researchers at several dozen U.S. universities are developing
mobile apps that aim to curb new infections of the novel
coronavirus, but Alabama is one of the first U.S. school systems
to move forward on deploying such an app.
Students and employees will be reminded to sign into a website
with their school login credentials every three days and report
whether they have any symptoms related to COVID-19, the
sometimes deadly respiratory illness caused by the virus.
Those reluctant to fill it out may be asked to stay away from
campus, but an official enforcement system has not been
finalized, said Selwyn Vickers, dean of University of Alabama at
Birmingham's (UAB) school of medicine.
The contact tracing mobile app, which is being built by
Birmingham-based software developer MotionMobs, will use
programming code released on Wednesday by Apple Inc and Alphabet
Inc's Google that notifies people who were near users reporting
as virus-positive. Users can remain anonymous the entire time.
Its use will not be required because some phones cannot operate
the app, and Apple and Google also set rules preventing
institutions and the state from making it mandatory, said Sue
Feldman, director of graduate programs in health informatics at
UAB.
But the app will be open to anyone in Alabama, she said, and
some Birmingham-based companies such as Altec Inc, Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Alabama and Regions Bank are considering
telling employees to use the contact tracing and health
assessment tools.
"We are encouraged by the progress being made and look forward
to learning more about the contact tracing system under
development," said Regions Bank spokeswoman Evelyn Mitchell.
(Reporting by Paresh Dave; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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