Health care workers being asked to turn off COVID tracing app

Workers in healthcare facilities such as personal care homes are being asked to turn a Government of Manitoba-endorsed COVID-19 tracing app off at work.

When fully equipped with PPE, workers can be asked by their employers to turn off their COVID Alert app.

Employers asking employees to turn off their apps can be common practice.

"It can be, sometimes, especially if you are a healthcare worker and you are working with PPE and you are in the midst of COVID-19 patients all the time," Lanette Siragusa says.

The Chief Nursing Officer says their app could be triggering in these situations.

Siragusa says if a worker is not fully outfitted with the appropriate PPE, they should keep their apps on.

On October 1, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced the COVID Alert app's activation in Manitoba. The tracing app is used to alert potential close contacts of COVID-19 cases. Workers are to hand out codes for the app to those being tested positive, in which the patient enters the anonymous code. Many Manitobans on social media say they have not received codes for the app when testing positive.