The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Sarah Stoodley, Minister of Digital Government and Service NL:

Mr. Speaker, since the onset of the pandemic, we have seen firsthand the importance of having online services available for the residents of our province. We have witnessed services such as vehicle registrations, for example, increase by 75 per cent from the same period last year, with more than 98 per cent now completed online. Since March, registration for MyGovNL has grown by approximately 1,400 per cent – from 7,500 to more than 114,000.

These online service options have been useful in complementing traditional services during this difficult time, and the COVID alert app we recently launched is the next step in our digital government response to the public health emergency.

The app does not share a person’s name, address or telephone contacts. It does not collect or store any personal health information, or track a user’s particular geographic location. Our government consulted with the Information and Privacy Commissioner to ensure the highest standards of privacy are in place.

Mr. Speaker, if a person has the app and tests positive for COVID-19, they will receive a one-time key from Public Health. With this key, COVID Alert notifies other app users who may have come in close contact with that person in the last 14 days. These users will be asked to contact Public Health for advice and further guidance. Use of the app, however, does not mean that a person should refrain from following current public health measures such as physical distancing and regular handwashing.

This app is a wonderful example of how we can utilize technology as another means of helping protect the people of our province and the spread of COVID-19.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.