Contact tracing is no more a new phrase as this strategy is being used across the globe to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As the companies are opening-up, the companies’ responsibility has zoomed admirably as they must provide a safe workplace to their staff members. This is a lot easier said than done as COVID-19 cases are increasing rampantly in many countries, including the USA, the UK, Italy, France, and Spain.
The economy cannot remain under lockdowns forever; therefore, the companies are slowly opening up, schools and universities are opening-up too in a phased manner. In such a scenario, employers and institutions are using all possible tools to ensure they are safe. The contact tracing app is one of the crucial tools that is being employed. Companies need custom-made corporate contact tracing apps to capture the relevant data required for a safe and healthy office.
What is contact tracing, and how do contact tracing apps work?
Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who are actively carrying a virus and then tracking down the people they may have encountered, possibly spreading the virus. Capturing this data is a challenge, and contact tracing apps aim to eliminate some of this challenge.
Contact tracing apps monitor an individual’s location, the Bluetooth data, and mobile network location to identify their whereabouts and track whether they were in a high-risk area or close to an individual actively affected by the virus. Not only do they inform employees about potential exposure, but they can also help employers implement immediate measures to contain the spread of the virus.
These apps are connected to dashboards that collect data for HR/Admin. This data includes the employee’s name, risk of exposure, immunity (if they have recovered from COVID-19), and other similar details. Businesses are also obliged to share this data with government authorities to contain the spread of the virus.
What are the helpful features of the Contact Tracing App?
Dashboards:
The employees and administrators can monitor all the essential and critical information through the integrated control panel.
Digital forms:
With this feature, one can create unlimited digital documents that can help circumvent existing paper trails.
Share news/guides:
This feature is meant to help everyone, as all the vital news/guidelines related to COVID-19 are updated.
Also read: Top 5 Mobile Apps to Build During Covid-19 Pandemic
Real-time tracking:
This feature is one of the main features of the COVID-19 tracking app, as it tracks all possible COVID-19 positive people in the vicinity in real-time, helping people keep their distance from everyone, the probable carriers of Coronavirus.
Symptom tracking:
This feature allows employees or users to keep track of their physical condition/symptoms and self-report them in the app.
Contact tracing:
With its massive population of more than 1.35 billion, India is doing well in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the credit is due to the contact tracing strategy that has been used since the Coronavirus hit India in early March this year. Contact tracing requires employees who have tested positive to identify all people who had close contact within the time frame they may have been infected with the virus.
Health records:
This feature allows easy access to the records for health inspections by authorities.
Notifications:
Immediate email and push notifications to management to react immediately if anything adverse is detected.
Contact tracing, if adopted by employees, can help contain the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.
Things to look for when shortlisting a contact tracing app development company:
- Does the application comply with data protection laws?
- Check the company, website, search reviews, and comments section to validate the company’s claim of good services.
- Look for the company’s years of experience in business and domain experience.
- Where is the data stored? Is it in a central repository with limited access to only a central team that can assess, analyze, and use it to keep the workplace safe?
- Does the app use location tracking of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi access points?
- Does the application have data protection and privacy? Is it safe and accessible by design?
A useful contact tracing will need:
- Technology training to help HR understand how technology works and how to implement it.
- Training to convey to employees how the contact tracing application will collect, use, protect, and share their data.
- Sensitivity training to convey important news about the exposure in an anti-discrimination manner.
- Employee privacy compliance training ensures that they pass on critical information, such as the department an infected employee belonged to, without revealing the names of infected employees.
Contact tracing apps are the new norms
Contact tracing app will become a permanent feature of well-being in the workplace even after COVID-19 subsides. For now, contact tracing data can be added to prevent the spread of disease more quickly. In organizations where human contact can be high, a contact tracing app development can help prevent community transmission.
Because COVID-19 spreads rapidly through physical proximity, contact tracing technologies can become permanent features of the workplace and workplace wellness programs. If this is the case, companies will do well to consider apps that are transparent about how and where they collect their data and how it will be used later. Additionally, creating a robust employee education program can also help alleviate your concerns about data privacy.
Looking for a contact tracing app development?
As evinced above, contact tracing apps will remain in vogue in the years to come. They will be a part of the organization’s employee well-being strategy to lend confidence to their employees and ensure a safe and healthy working atmosphere in offices or manufacturing plants.
Going for a custom contact tracing app for your organization, thus, makes sense. We encourage you to get in touch with our engineers today for a detailed project discussion. After understanding the scope of your project, we will be happy to offer you a free quote. You can reach out to us here.