Coronavirus: Isle of Wight residents urged to use NHS tracing app

Letters detailing how to install the app are being delivered to 80,000 homes on the island

People on the Isle of Wight are being urged to be "part of history in the making" by downloading the NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app.

A trial of the app began for local authority and healthcare workers on Tuesday and has now been extended to include the rest of the island.

Council leader Dave Stewart said downloading the app was the island's "chance to make a difference".

Concerns have previously been raised about privacy and data protection.

Dave Stewart, leader of Isle of Wight Council, urged residents to download the app

Letters from the NHS are being delivered to 80,000 homes on the island with installation instructions.

Mr Stewart said: "Make no mistake, this could be one of the most important days in the history of the Isle of Wight.

"We have been asked to lead on the development of this pioneering technology and with your support we can give a great response.

"So today I urge you all to download the NHS Covid-19 app and turn our island into a shining beacon of light that will lead the nation out of this darkness."

How does the app work?

The new app - published on Apple and Google's app stores - works by using a Bluetooth connection.

It records when two people who have the app are within a certain distance of each other for longer than a specified amount of time.

If one of those people later reports having symptoms, all the other app users they came into significant contact with over recent days will be alerted and, if judged necessary, told to self-isolate.

"The exact advice on what you should do will depend on the evolving context and approach," the NHS has said.

Read more here.

The island was chosen for the trial because it has a lower number of new infections, is covered by a single NHS trust and travel to and from the island is quite restricted.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously said the app would be an "incredibly important part" of the fight against the virus and the more people who downloaded it, the more lockdown restrictions could be eased.

However, concerns have been raised over privacy and one island resident said he "won't be a guinea pig" for the project.

The government said the app had been designed with privacy at "front of mind".

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