COVID-19 alert app now available for Islanders

Islanders are encouraged to download the COVID Alert app, which is designed to let Canadians know that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, as the province goes live with notifications. 

“As Islanders continue through the ‘New Normal’ phase, the app is another tool that is useful in supporting our efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our province,” said Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison. “The more Islanders that download the app, the more helpful it will be in preventing future outbreaks. It is a quick and easy step to take to further protect yourself and others.” 

Starting today, individuals in Prince Edward Island who test positive for COVID-19 and have downloaded the free app can receive a one-time use key from public health that they can enter into the app to activate the notification function. Those who have been in close contact with this individual (for more than 15 minutes, less than two meters apart, in the past 14 days) and have also downloaded the COVID Alert app will receive an anonymous alert through the app indicating that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. 

Islanders who receive a notification through the COVID Alert app should immediately visit a Drop-in Testing Clinic to be tested, and remain at home until they receive their test results. 

The COVID Alert app, which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play, uses Bluetooth signals to exchange codes with nearby phones that also have the app installed. COVID Alert does not collect any personally identifiable information like your name, location, address or any health information.  

The COVID Alert exposure notification system does not replace the manual contact tracing that is required under the Prince Edward Island Public Health Act. Public health nurses perform contact tracing for all positive cases of COVID-19 detected in the province. Through contact tracing, public health nurses work with individuals who test positive to identify close contacts and then notify those individuals who are likely to have come into close and prolonged contact with a positive case beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset (or 48 hours prior to testing for cases without symptoms).

For more information about the COVID Alert app, visit: COVID Alert app.

Backgrounder: 

The Chief Public Health Office continues to work closely with the federal government, provincial and territorial counterparts, government departments and Health PEI to monitor the pandemic situation and prepare for all COVID-19 related impacts to the province, including health, social and economic. The public health risk of COVID-19 is continually reassessed and Islanders will be updated as new information becomes available.

Everyone is encouraged to follow routine prevention measures:

• Washing hands frequently with soap and water
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue
• Stay home if you are not feeling well
• Limit touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Keep your circle of contacts small
• Wear a mask in closed, indoor public spaces
• Maintain a distance of two meters from others as much as possible
• Don’t share items like drinking glasses and water bottles
• Frequently clean surfaces like taps, doorknobs and countertops

Media Contact:
Samantha Hughes
Health and Wellness
shughes@gov.pe.ca