To help fight the spread of COVID-19, Maryland has a new option that you can enable to get alerts on your phone if you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus. The app has been designed with care to protect your privacy. No location information is tracked or stored, and you are never personally identified. Instead, the app generates frequently changing random numbers that are exchanged with any nearby phone using Bluetooth Low Energy technology. If someone who has the feature turned on tests positive for COVID-19, the system uses the random ID numbers to send an alert to any phone that was closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or more.
If you have an iPhone, you already have the option and don’t need to download anything. Just go to settings and scroll down until you find “Exposure Notifications.” Tap on that, then enable the notification.
If you have an Android phone, you’ll need to download an app from Google Play to enable it. You can search for “MD COVID Alert” or click here to download.
If you have a positive test result, you’ll receive a unique secure pin number you can use to report it and trigger the alert using settings on an iPhone or the app on Android.
