The Aarogya Setu, created in India and aimed at detecting cases of the novel coronavirus, has now been made mandatory app mandatory for all government employees, even those working in public sector organizations.
And now, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also asked residents of the areas worst affected by the coronavirus to download and install Aarogya Setu on devices . This means that all residents of areas that have been classified as red or orange zones are required to download the app.
The instructions given by the government provide for an extension of the quarantine by two weeks from May 4.
Penalties for those who do not download Aarogya Setu
The Indian government has asked heads of both the public and private sectors to ensure that their employees download the app. The order states that “any negligence on the part of a director, officer, secretary or any other employee, if proven, will lead to punishment.”.
The Aarogya Setu app uses contact tracing based on Bluetooth technology and GPS data to identify whether a user has been in contact with a COVID-19 patient. The app also provides important information and ways to avoid getting infected with the coronavirus.
Aarogya Setu will be made mandatory for all Indians
A government decision stipulates that all mobile phones from now on will have Aarogya Setu pre-installed, which indicates that India plans to impose the application on all its citizens.
Apart from Aarogya for smartphones, the IT ministry is also planning to launch a similar app for 2G phones, which do not necessarily have Bluetooth technology. The Indian government is already in talks with smartphone manufacturers in the country to install the app by default. However, concerns have started to emerge about the app's privacy and security.
