Introduction
Arogya Setu app is a bluetooth based tracker for Indians to track and regulate COVID-19 spread. It is based on the similar idea of Singapore’s app, Trace Together. In these tough times when the coronavirus has claimed over 1.5 lakh lives and infected 22 lakh people, social distancing is the ideal resort for safety.
However, tracking the citizens becomes a headache. Arogya Setu App is an innovative solution to combat this problem by making the population aware, and track the movements of citizens. Here is everything you need to know about the app.
Prime Minister’s Request
On 14th April, while announcing the extension of the lockdown period, Prime minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens to use Arogya Setu App. He referred to the app as a critical link in the nation’s fight against coronavirus. Few days earlier, he had also hinted at the app being used as an e-pass to ensure smooth travel from one place to another. The chances are that this app will be used in future for identifying and restricting movements to essential travel.
Who Developed Arogya Setu App?
National Informatics Centre(NIC), a part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India is the developer of Arogya Setu App. It was developed within two weeks, and is the product of hard work by the engineers of the government. It took two weeks to develop the app.
How Many Languages Are There On The Arogya Setu App?
Keeping the linguistic diversity in India, this app has eleven languages which you can switch between, in the top right hand corner. English, Hindi, Gujarathi, Kannada, Telugu, Oriya, Tamil, Marati, Malayalam, Bengali and Punjabi are the languages in which the app is available.
What Are The Features In Arogya Setu?
- Self Assessment Tool – You can answer the various questions that a chatbot on the app asks you. It helps you understand your risk level for Coronavirus.
- Location graph with bluetooth – The app tracks the location of all the users(who have the app installed on their mobiles). If someone has been tested positive for Coronavirus after the 14 day incubation period, others who have crossed their paths will be alerted. This data helps in a significant reduction of risks.
- Information about Dos and Don’ts – In the world of the internet, where wrong information is spread rampantly, it is essential to know the truth. The doctors have compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts that is available on the app.
How Exactly Does Arogya Setu App Help In Combat Of Coronavirus Cases?
Arogya Setu app has a risk test that helps you analyse your risk potential for the disease. It also collects the foreign history details, allowing the health authorities to monitor the population and place them in quarantine. It also directs the users to take appointments in the nearest testing center by calling the helpline number 1075, if they have crossed a corona positive patient or if they are in a high risk locality.
How Can You Install Arogya Setu App?
Go to Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Type the name Arogya Setu App in the search bar and install it. You have to enter your mobile number and give the OTP to register successfully. Enable the location tracking for Bluetooth, and answer the questions honestly.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Coronavirus Using Arogya Setu App?
Arogya Setu app does not offer foolproof protection from coronavirus. However, it can help you minimise the risk to you by showing the hotspots of coronavirus. It will also alert you if you have crossed someone who was detected with Coronavirus. This helps you report to the hospital early, and get diagnosed early. It would greatly reduce the death risk for you with early medical treatment. Also, you can distance yourself from your loved ones, and save them from getting the coronavirus from you.
Is Your Data Safe On Arogya Setu?
The data of the users collected on the application is sent to the government servers in secure encryption. The government has explicitly assured that the data is safe with the establishment and will not be used for commercial purposes. Also, due to the sensitive nature of data, it will not be made public.
App Stores And Arogya Setu App
Google Play Store approved Arogya Setu app within one hour, while the Apple Store approved it within four hours. This approval rate is pretty quick compared to the general approval rate, and shows that the multinational giants are serious about tackling the coronavirus menace and are looking to support in all ways possible to protect the citizens from the spread. An unverified source from Google has also reported that Arogya Setu app is being promoted in organic ranks whenever an user checks for ways to tackle corona. This will hopefully increase the reach and encourage more people to install it on their mobiles.
Publicity And Hype Around Arogya Setu App
The banks, telecom operators, IRCTC, and various other governmental organisations are sending out SMSes and E-mails about the app. Also, there are regular advertisements on various social media and television channels. PM Modi specifically asked the citizens of India to persuade at least forty people to install the app, and spread the chain of app installations, in his address. It is impossible to miss out the existence of this app in India unless you are living under a rock.
Potential And Future Of Arogya Setu App
Arogya Setu app has already seen 20 million users within a month of launching. However, the cover is not enough in the population of 1.35 billion Indians. The non-smartphone users are at a greater risk of spreading the disease. Efforts are on to make it compatible for basic mobiles, however, the cellular data is said to be unreliable due to the large range. Yet, the central government is trusting the citizens to stay responsible, report themselves and stay in quarantine. Some state governments such as Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra and Goa where the lockdown rules were flouted are using drones to track and identify the movements.
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