Chesterfield hospital bosses urge residents to download Government app to help curb Covid-19

Chesterfield hospital bosses are urging residents to download a new contact-tracing app to help combat the spread of Covid-19.
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The Government app – which launched on Thursday – will advise users to self-isolate if they have been in close contact with someone who has the virus.

It features a check-in scanner to alert people if a venue they have visited is found to be an outbreak hotspot.

More than one million people have so far downloaded the app.More than one million people have so far downloaded the app.
More than one million people have so far downloaded the app.
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The app also enables people to check symptoms, book a test if needed and get results.

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Royal Hospital – where five patients were being treated for coronavirus on Thursday – said: “The Government’s contact-tracing app is another way we can all do our bit to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community.

“The more people who download it, the more effective it will be.

“The app is designed to help to find more people who are at risk of having the virus and provides ‘secret’ self-isolation alerts if it detects you have been nearby someone who is found to have the virus.

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“Anyone aged 16 or over is urged to install the app on to their smartphone so they can check-in to the places they visit.

“Along with hand washing, wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing and not meeting up in groups of more than six, it’s supporting the bid to get the reproduction rate of Covid-19 back down to below one to try and reduce the increase in cases we are seeing right now.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the launch of the app ‘marks an important step forward in our fight against this invisible killer’.

He added: “We are at a tipping point in our efforts to control the spread of this virus.

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“With infection rates rising we must use every tool at our disposal to prevent transmission, including the latest technology.

“We have worked extensively with tech companies, international partners, and privacy and medical experts – and learned from the trials – to develop an app that is secure, simple to use and will help keep our country safe.

“I urge everyone who can to download and use the app to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

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