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More Australians Urged to Download COVID-19 Tracing App

Phil Mercer

   SYDNEY - More than four million Australians have downloaded the
   government'sCovidSafetracing App, but officials insist many more need
   to sign on to make it effective. Australia has had 6,800 COVID-19
   cases, 5,800 patients have recovered, and 95 people have died with the
   virus.

   TheCovidSafeApp was launched in Australia just over a week ago. 4.25
   million Australians have downloaded it, but officials say a greater
   uptake of the coronavirus tracing software would give political leaders
   the ability to bemore "bold"in easing restrictions. The government has
   said that about 10 million Australians - or 40 per cent of the
   population - need to join the program to make it an effective tool to
   trace COVID-19 cases.

   Civil liberties groups say the technology breaches privacy, while some
   experts have questioned its ability to accurately trace users.

   But the Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy is urging more Australians
   to take part.

   "The other very important precondition we have talked about on many
   occasions is the App. 4.25 million Australians have now downloaded the
   App andclearly,we need to keep downloads and registrations increasing.
   We think there are about 16 million adults with Smartphones. They are
   our target population. They are the people we want to get to download
   App because they are the people are likely to be contacts of cases, and
   we want as many of them as possible to download the App," Murphy said.

   The federal government says it will announce later in the week if more
   COVID-19 controls will be relaxed following moves by some state and
   territory authorities to ease some public gathering and recreational
   restrictions.

   More than 630,000 tests have been carried out across the country.
   Australia also shut its borders to foreigners in March to stop the
   spread of imported cases of the disease.

   A New Zealand rugby team are the first foreign nationals to be allowed
   into Australia since international borderswere closed. The New Zealand
   Warriors will stay in quarantine for 14 days before the planned
   resumption oftheAustralianNational Rugby Leagueon May 28. The
   Auckland-based Warriors are the only overseas side to play in the
   16-team competition.

   In Sydney, another elderly resident has died atacare home that has
   become an epicenterfor COVID-19 in Australia. 14 people havenowdied
   after a staff member caused an outbreak by working several shifts
   despite having mild coronavirus symptoms. The New South Wales state
   government said the situation at the facility was "horrific" and
   "unacceptable."

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