Maui Reporter

Maui County issued the following announcement on December 4.

Mayor  Michael Victorino announced that the AlohaSafe Alert application  that has undergone pilot testing on Lanai and Hana has been approved for  full rollout in Maui County, making Maui County the first County in the  State to utilize this resource to assist in curbing the spread of  COVID-19.  

According  to the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative, the lead partner, the target  launch date is mid-December, and more information will follow in the  coming days.  

The  application is free and can be downloaded now from the Apple Store or  Google Play. It is part of a nationwide effort by public health  authorities and leading technology firms to assist in curbing the spread  of COVID-19. 

Lanai  and Hana residents have been participating in a pilot project to test  the AlohaSafe Alert app, which is the State of Hawaii’s official  exposure notification app, and was developed through a public-private  partnership with aio Digital and Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative.

“We’re  privileged to work with Maui County and the Department of Health to  help engage Maui’s residents to utilize AlohaSafe Alert,” said Lynelle  Marble, executive director of the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative. “By  downloading the app, people in Maui County are adding an additional  layer of safety that will help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

“Maui  County has been at the forefront of pushing these advances for the  benefit of our community. Widespread use of this technology by our  residents and visitors alike will make it most effective in our battle  against this disease,” Mayor Victorino said. “The AlohaSafe Alert app  will quickly notify users that they may have been exposed to the virus.  The app is meant to complement and expedite the ongoing work of contact  tracers.”

There  are currently 14 States and the District of Columbia that are  participating in the Google Apple Exposure Notification (“GAEN”) system.    California, Oregon and Washington are also tentatively set to roll  out their State’s official exposure notification app by mid-December  2020. The AlohaSafe Alert app is able to communicate with any app on the  GAEN system, which is vitally important in highly traveled areas, such  as Maui County.

“As  public health officials’ resources shift from contact tracing to  vaccination plans, CARES Act funds come to a close, and as viral  activity picks up around the nation, it is critical now more than ever  that our community is protected through these technological advances,”  Mayor Victorino said.

After  the app is downloaded, the smartphone uses Bluetooth technology to  anonymously communicate with other phones that also have a GAEN  application. Devices will automatically “ping” each other, measuring the  strength of the Bluetooth signal and the duration of a contact.

Location  and identifiable information is not used or collected for privacy  reasons. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, they will be  contacted by a contact tracer who will ask if the person had downloaded  the AlohaSafe app. If so, the person will receive a verification code  that will enable an anonymous notification to others that they might  have been exposed to the virus.

To trigger a notification alert, devices must have been within 6 feet of each other for at least 15 minutes in the past 14 days.

The  app is compatible with Android and iPhones. Android phones should be  Version 6 or above. iPhones should have iOS 13.7 or greater.

For more information, visit www.alohasafealert.org or contact the State Department of Health at doh.alohasafe@doh.hawaii.gov.

Original source can be found here.