The federal government’s COVID Alert app is being shut down.
The government made the announcement today, saying “Following a thorough review of COVID Alert, the Government of Canada has decommissioned the application effective today, June 17, 2022. The exposure notification service is disabled and users can delete the app from their devices.”
The feds launched the national exposure notification app on July 31, 2020 when cases were on the rise, with the aim of providing an additional tool to help limit the spread of the virus.
The government says more than 6.9 million people living in Canada downloaded the app and over 57,000 users who tested positive for COVID-19 notified others of a possible exposure.
A statement from the government says, “While the pandemic is not over, the decision to decommission COVID Alert comes after careful consideration following discussions with provinces and territories on the ongoing evolution of public health programming that varies in each jurisdiction.”
It says, over the last few months, with less PCR testing across Canada, fewer one-time keys (OTK) were being issued and therefore fewer notifications of potential exposures were sent to users, which it says resulted in lower app usage.