Pakistan govt to launch ‘Corona App’ that helps users identify victims around them

As the deadly coronavirus continues to spread and infect individuals all over the world, the efforts made to contain it intensify as well. With Pakistan facing the brunt of the disease’s attack in recent days, provincial governments are investing in quarantine spaces and essential equipment, as well as advocating for social distancing, in order to prevent it from reaching uncontrollable levels. Since public awareness is so necessary in these times, the federal government has decided to develop a Corona App for smartphones.

According to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) and the National Information Technology Board (NITB), work is being done on the development of an application that will enable users to identify COVID-19 victims within a certain radius around them.

The Corona App will also consist of a chatbot capable of answering public inquiries related to the global pandemic. It will send hand-washing reminders to users as well as public awareness videos and the latest official announcements.

According to Federal Secretary MOITT Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, the government is contributing significantly to this fight against the coronavirus by developing this app.

“The government is fighting a war against the coronavirus and our ministry is playing its part in it by developing the app. Corona App will be launched within a week or 10 days,” he said.

Aside from the app, the government has also launched an official website to keep the masses updated with the latest information and announcements related to the spread of coronavirus within Pakistan.

Considering the amount of misinformation and fake news that tends to be rampant on social media platforms, the presence of such a website (and a smartphone app) is essential. Information is still one of the biggest weapons we wield as a society, and it’s important to ensure that it’s used right.