By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Changes allowing for greater accessibility and outreach have hit a phone app that could help keep Livingston County residents safe from COVID-19.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, with the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, has released Spanish and Arabic language options for the MI COVID Alert app. Spanish and Arabic speakers can now find those versions of the app in the Apple and Google app stores, or access them by going into their smartphone settings and setting their language and region to such.

Oxford University researchers have found a positive potential to reducing infections and deaths when just 15% of a population uses an exposure notification app like MI COVID Alert. According to a release from the state health department, Michigan’s app has been downloaded by nearly 10% of Michigan residents ages 18 to 64.

The app uses randomly generated phone codes and Bluetooth technology to detect distances between phones with the app, protecting privacy and preventing the tracking of a person’s exact location. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they are eligible to receive a PIN to enter anonymously into the app. The app will then send a push notification to other app users who were detected to be in close contact with the infected person, warning them.

Holiday travelers may find added benefit to the app, which is compatible with similar notification apps from Wisconsin, Virginia, Arizona, New York, Alabama, and New Jersey.