COVID Alert: Canada’s COVID-19 exposure notification app
Let's protect each other
The new COVID Alert app is designed to let Canadians know whether they may have been exposed to COVID-19.
Download it today to protect yourself and others.
How the app works
- The app uses Bluetooth signals to exchange random codes with nearby phones with the app installed.
- If someone you've come in close contact with later tests positive for COVID-19, they will receive a one-time key from their local health authority that they can enter into the app.
- You and others who have spent time (more than 15 minutes, less than 2 metres apart, over the past 14 days) near this person will then be notified through the app that you may have been exposed.
Your privacy is protected
COVID Alert does not collect personally identifiable information about you.
It has no way of knowing:
- your location
- your name or address
- the place or time you were near someone
- your health information
No information is shared without your consent.
What to do if you test positive
You will get a one-time key to enter into the app.
The app then notifies other app users that they may have been exposed. Notifications are based on having spent more than 15 minutes less than 2 metres from another user in the past 14 days. Your identity is not revealed.
What to do if you may have been exposed
If the app notifies you about potential exposure, you should follow the guidance from your local public health authority.
Why you should download the app
The app is another tool Canadians can use to help limit the spread of infection and prevent future outbreaks as we ease restrictions and restart the economy. The more Canadians who install the COVID Alert app on their phones, the better we can limit the spread of COVID-19.
Download the app and help others use it too. Find out more at canada.ca/coronavirus.
Download in PDF format
(172 KB, 1 page)
Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada
Date published: 2020-07-31
Related links
- How the COVID Alert app works (video)
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