Michigan launches statewide rollout of COVID-19 exposure app

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget announced the statewide rollout of the COVID-19 exposure notification app called MI COVID Alert.

Last month, this app was piloted in Ingham County and on the campus of Michigan State University.

This anonymous, no cost and voluntary app lets users know whether they may have recently been exposed to COVID-19.

Users can confidentially submit a positive test result into the app and alert others in recent proximity that they may have also been exposed to the virus.

How does it work?

When a person tests positive for COVID-19, they receive a randomly generated PIN from their local health department or State of Michigan case investigators.

MI COVID Alert uses randomly generated phone codes and low energy Bluetooth technology instead of GPS location to protect privacy while looking back in time to determine close contact with other phones that have the app.

If someone was in close contact with another person who submitted a positive COVID-19 test result, the close contact will receive a push notification once the positive test result is entered into the system. If a close contact receives a notification, that means they were possibly within six feet for at least 15 minutes of someone who tested positive.

Michigan State University Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, Dr. Norman J. Beauchamp Jr. explains how important this app is in conjunction with current health and safety guidelines and protocols.

“This app has the potential to provide the kind of early exposure notification that is critical to preventing the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Beauchamp Jr. “In addition to wearing a mask, social distancing and getting tested, downloading the app is one of the most important steps we can take to help keep our communities safe.”

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/ and CDC.gov/Coronavirus