Knowing who has COVID-19 and who they’ve come in contact is an important part of flattening the curve and cellphones could offer a solution.
Dr. Robert Strang Nova Scotia’s Cheif Medical Officer of Health said during yesterday’s COVID-19 briefing that conversations have taken place about tracking phones but nothing has been implemented yet.
“We’re involved in conversations at the national level about doing it but obviously there are a lot of privacy issues,” Strang said.
If cell phone tracking is to be used it would require Federal Authorization due to protections under Sections 91 and 92 in the Canadian Constitution.
In Taiwan, they have already started using cell phone data to track cases and while it’s unfair to attribute all of Taiwan’s success in reducing cases it likely has had an impact. Taiwan currently has 393 confirmed cases but considering they have a population of near 28 million of which 400,000 work in mainland China that number is impressive.
In Canada, Dr. Strang says that he is also aware of discussions taking place by people in the medical technology field looking into potential options.
