CovTracer: A Cyprus-made app to help break the chain of COVID

Digital contact tracing apps can help break the chain of coronavirus infections and save lives by complementing manual tracing. The virus does not stop at borders, and therefore the European Commission and Member States are working to ensure the seamless cross-border interoperability of these apps.

In the above context, in Cyprus, CovTracer – Exposure Notification (CovTracer-EN) has been developed under the coordination of the National Electronic Health Authority, and the advisory role of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (DMRID) together with the Ministry of Health. The development of the application has been entrusted to the KIOS center of excellence along with the CYENS center of excellence.

CovTracer-EN is the official application of the Cypriot Government which was created to detect contacts based on your phone’s Bluetooth technology. The application aims to support the efforts of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Control Unit of the Ministry of Cyprus to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the Cypriot community.

The use of the application will be on a purely voluntary basis, it will be able to detect possible contact of the user with a confirmed case of COVID-19 after evaluation of the date, time interval and proximity of the user’s contact with a confirmed case. Specifically, the app uses Bluetooth and Google-Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) which allows it to record while you’re close to other users of the app. If an application user has been tested positive for COVID-19, then he/she has the option to enter the relevant code in the application to inform the users of the application that he/she has been in contact with.

It should be noted that this application has not been created to replace the active tracing carried out by the Ministry of Health with the conventional method.

With full respect for your data and privacy, the CovTracer-EN app:

  • does not publicly identify any user with the virus
  • does not reveal personal data to the Ministry of Health without your consent
  • does not use your data for any reason other than to detect contacts

We ask you to participate in this national effort, and urge you to use this app to significantly contribute to the fight against COVID-19. By encouraging the people around you to download and use the CovTracer-EN app, you can protect yourself, your family, your community and our vulnerable citizens. We are committed to the fight against Covid-19, and believe that we can achieve our results most effectively if we all collaborate. By using the best tools and technologies, designed to measure accurately but also to keep everyone’s privacy secure, we can immediately strengthen our society’s efforts and keep everyone safe.

For more information follow the link: covtracer.dmrid.gov.cy