NHS street teams to demo the NHS Covid-19 app at Asda in Rochdale

People in the borough of Rochdale are being urged to download the NHS Covid-19 app to help control the spread of coronavirus and protect themselves and their loved ones as case numbers rise.

To support the launch, NHS street teams will be taking to community spaces to help demonstrate the app and to encourage the public to download it.

The ambassador teams will be present at Asda on Dane Street in Rochdale on Saturday 26 September to answer any questions residents may have.

The app launched across England and Wales on Thursday 24 September, and is designed to work alongside traditional contact tracing to help reduce the spread of the virus.

It will be available to those aged 16 and over in multiple languages. It forms a central part of the NHS Test and Trace service in England and the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect programme - identifying contacts of those who have tested positive for coronavirus.

Councillor Sara Rowbotham, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Our residents have made big sacrifices over the last six months to help stop the spread of the virus across our borough.

“Downloading an app is such a simple thing to do but it is a vital tool in helping us to track the virus and reduce its impact on our residents.”

As part of a major campaign to encourage downloads of the app a new advertisement will launch on primetime TV tonight with the strapline “Protect your loved ones. Get the app”.

The UK’s major mobile network operators, including Vodafone, Three, EE and O2, Sky and Virgin, have confirmed that all in-app activity will not come out of customers’ data allowance.

The contact tracing element of the app works by using low-energy Bluetooth to log the amount of time you spend near other app users, and the distance between you, so it can alert you if someone you have been close to later tests positive for Covid-19 – even if you don’t know each other. 

The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case. It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a free test if needed and get your test results.

The app has been designed with user privacy in mind, so it tracks the virus not people, and uses the latest in data security technology to protect privacy. The system generates a random ID for an individual’s device, which can be exchanged between devices via Bluetooth (not GPS). These unique random IDs regenerate frequently to add an extra layer of security and preserve anonymity. 

The app does not hold personal information such as your name, address or date of birth, and only requires the first half of your postcode to ensure local outbreaks can be managed. No personal data is shared with the government or the NHS. 

Dido Harding, Executive Chair of England’s NHS Test and Trace Programme, said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to engage with England’s NHS Test and Trace service. The NHS Covid-19 app enables the majority of people with a smartphone to find out if they are at risk of having caught the virus and need to self-isolate, order a test if they have symptoms, and access the right guidance and advice.”

As well as contact tracing the app has a range of additional, enhanced features that will help to reduce personal and public risk from Covid-19 as part of the wider testing and contact tracing service:

• alert: letting users know the level of coronavirus risk in their postcode district
• QR check-in: enabling users to check-in at a venue and alerting them if they have recently visited somewhere they may have come into contact with someone who later tests positive for Covid-19
• symptoms: allowing users to check if they have coronavirus symptoms and see if they need to order a free test 
• test: helping users book a free test through the app and get results to know whether they have Covid-19
• isolate: if a user is told to self-isolate, a timer feature will help count down that period and access will be provided to relevant advice.