The Ministries of Health and Public Administrations, Justice and Security of the Government of the Canary Islands have reported that, as of this Friday, August 21, the Radar COVID mobile application for tracking possible coronavirus infections among the population is capable of operating throughout the archipelago, making the Islands the first Autonomous Community to have this tool available to citizens.
The operating system is already integrated with the Canary Islands Health Service and with the information and management systems of the pandemic, and, according to the regional Executive, this weekend will be used to outline the communication and training of the agents of the COVID tracking services of the Canary Islands, "which will be one of the key elements for the success of the application".
After successfully passing the pilot test carried out in La Gomera between June 29 and July 31 and concluding the dissemination phase of the app carried out in recent days, the tracking application is already in operation and available to the Canary Islands population and tourists visiting the Islands, so it can now be used by citizens, although its full operation will be complemented in the coming days.
The Government of the Canary Islands points out that Radar COVID serves to know how the coronavirus moves in a territory and to guarantee the safety of citizens and tourists, as it will offer instant information if the app user has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus and has communicated it in Radar COVID.
How it works
As explained, Radar COVID is an application that helps prevent the spread of COVID19, registering anonymously on the device and with an encrypted code the mobiles of possible contacts that a person who is infected may have had in the last 14 days. Once the person is diagnosed, the COVID tracking team contacts the positive person to begin the tracking work. At that time, the affected person is given an epidemiological survey and is asked if they have downloaded the APP or are invited to do so. If they have it and want to use it, they are given a code issued by the SCS at that time. When the person enters the code, their mobile generates a warning to the mobiles anonymously and they are told to call the line 900 112 061 where the case will be assessed.
If a user tests positive, they decide whether to communicate it, so citizens have the power to prevent the spread of the virus.
Therefore, it is indicated that the more people download and activate it, the more useful it will be to the health authorities, as Radar COVID will reduce the impact of new infections, tackle possible outbreaks and effectively cut off a possible chain of infections.
Respectful of privacy
The development uses a decentralized model, based on the Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (DP-3T) protocol, the "most respectful" of user privacy. This, it is pointed out, implies that only the encrypted identifiers that each mobile emits are sent to the server, not those it receives from other nearby terminals. From time to time, mobiles download the new identifiers of confirmed infections to compare with their records. That is, the data collation and risk analysis is always carried out on the user's mobile and not on a server, which guarantees privacy.
Thus, the Government of the Canary Islands affirms that this application complies, therefore, with all the guarantees established by European regulations to safeguard the privacy of citizens. In addition, it is pointed out that it guarantees proportionality and minimizes the use of personal data. The use of the application will be voluntary and framed within the limits of the health emergency, in strict compliance with the recommendations of the European Commission in this regard.