One method of curbing the spread of the coronavirus is to use smartphone technology to trace people who are infected and inform anyone who comes in proximity.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker already has deployed the technology, but he has acknowledged the privacy concerns.
He said, WFXT-TV in Boston reported, it must be done in “a way that makes people feel comfortable that they’re not giving up some of their privacy and confidentiality because we incorporated an electronic app into the process.
Already, some 5,000 people, both COVID-19 patients and those they’ve encountered, have been contacted through a “community tracing program.”
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Baker said last month the program, a project of the nonprofit Partners in Health, was set up to identify the close contacts of those who test positive.
It also is to inform them of possible exposure and offer help.
Baker said original projections indicated that a person with COVID-19 would have 10 close interactions. But the average number so far is actually only two.
“That’s a very good sign because it means that the work all of you and we have done here in Massachusetts to stay home, to separate, to socially distance, and to take seriously this idea that all of us have a role to play in reducing the spread has made a big difference,” he said.
Baker said concerns remain about privacy and trust.
He said the economic reopening of the state is underway with meetings with employers, business groups and cities.
