May 1, 2020 05:27 UTC
| Updated:
Jun 16, 2020 at 09:34 UTC
WHAT? WHY? & HOW? OF AAROGYA SETU
INTRODUCTION
AAROGYA SETU, i.e., a bridge for liberation from disease, is a digital service platform, primarily a mobile application developed by the Government of India. Its main goal or its primary aim is to connect COVID-19 related health issues with the people of India. Aarogya setu augments the initiatives of the Government of India by performing the people of their potential risk of COVID -19 infection & the best practices to be followed to stay healthy, as well as providing them relevant & curated medical advisories on the COVID- 19 pandemic. The National Informatics Centre developed it under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The app is available in 12 languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Odia, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam, and Assamese. All central government officials, including the outsourced workforce, have been directed to download it. On April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, appealed to the people to download the app. The app reached 100 million installs in 40 days. On May 26, amid growing privacy and security concerns, the source code of the app was made public.
It is a tracking app which uses the Smartphone’s GPS and Bluetooth features to track the coronavirus infection. The app is available for Android and iOS mobile operating systems. With Bluetooth, it tries to determine the risk if one has been near (within six feet of) a COVID-19 – infected person, by scanning through a database of known cases across India. Using this information it determines whether the location one is in belongs to one of the infected areas based on the data available.
KEY FEATURES
The app provides an Application Programming Interface (API) so that other mobile applications and web services can make use of the features and data available in Aarogya Setu. It tells how many COVID-19 positive cases are likely in a radius of 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 5 km and 10 km from the user. The key features of Aarogya Setu include –
- Automatic contact tracing using Bluetooth
- Self- Assessment test based on ICMR guidelines
- Updated, advisory & best practises related to COVID-19
- Integration of e- pass
There is one more feature which will be included &, i.e. Telemedicine & video consultation facilities.
WHY AAROGYA SETU?
Aarogya Setu is a typical bridge to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in India. It is crucial to provide medical help and advisory to people who may potentially be at risk, especially asymptomatic people, i.e., people who may have contracted the infection but haven’t shown the symptoms yet, to break the chain of infection.
Aarogya Setu enables early identification and prevention of potential risk of infection, through contact tracing, and thus acts as a shield for you, your family and your community. Also, when you take the self-assessment test on the Aarogya Setu app, by correlating the symptoms that you report along with your location information, the Government of India will have the ability to identify potential hotspots where the disease may be spreading early enough so that necessary interventions can be done to control and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
HOW TO USE AAROGYA SETU
To get started with the app one has to follow the following steps –
- One will need to download Aarogya Setu from the play store for the android users & the Appstore for IOS users.
- If step 1 is any problem or user is not able to access it, alternatively he/she can download the app from the following link: https://web.swaraksha.gov.in/in/.
- Once you have installed the app, it will guide one through the process to register yourself.
- Users are requested to switch on their Bluetooth and set their location sharing to “Always” to ensure that Aarogya Setu works for you, your family and your community’s benefit.
- N here we go, one is now able to use the app. Further, it will ask you some routine questions to ensure that you are virus-free, safe & sound.
For geophone users (KaiOS), a new version of the app will soon be available.
IS AAROGYA SETU AVAILABLE FOR FEATURE PHONES AND LANDLINES?
Yes, Aarogya Setu services include offering protection to users with feature phones and landlines also. For feature phone users, 1921 IVRS Aarogya Setu service has been launched wherein feature phone users are called back if they give a missed call to 1921 and then they are asked questions on their self-assessment which are similar to the questions on Aarogya Setu app. This IVRS service is available in 11 languages. After the self-assessment, users get a summary of their health condition on SMS. Those who report that they are unwell through their self-assessment also get calls for further assistance. Those who are assessed unwell on the Self-Assessment of Aarogya Setu are also called back by Ayushman Bharat, and those who need medical help are also spoken to by doctors.
WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION DOES IT COLLECT FROM USERS?
To register for the app, you are needed to provide your mobile number. In addition, you are also asked for your name, gender; age, profession, countries visited in last 30 days and willingness to volunteer in times of need. This information is encrypted and stored on the Aarogya Setu server. When you take the optional Self-Assessment Test, the app collects your response to the Test and records your location. This information is encrypted and stored on the Aarogya Setu server. When your Smartphone on which the app is active with Bluetooth and GPS services turned on, comes within range of another such mobile or handheld device on which the app is installed, the app collects from such other device the anonymised Device ID of the other user and details of the interaction (time, duration, distance and location). This information is encrypted and stored on your device.
HOW DOES CONTACT TRACING WORK ON AAROGYA SETU?
The Aarogya Setu app on your phone detects other devices that have the Aarogya Setu app when they come within the Bluetooth proximity of your phone. When this happens, both the phones securely exchange a digital signature of this interaction, including time, proximity, location and duration. This data is stored on the device of all individuals. In the unfortunate event that any of the people that you came in contact with during the last 14 days, tests positive for COVID-19, the app calculates your risk of infection based on the number of your interactions and the proximity of your interaction and recommends suitable action. This action is displayed on your Home screen. Your updated risk of infection is analysed by the Government of India, to facilitate suitable medical interventions, as and when required.
HOW DOES THE SELF ASSESSMENT TEST ON THE AAROGYA SETU APP WORK?
The self-assessment test, based on ICMR guidelines, evaluates the likelihood of COVID-19 infection based on yourself reported symptoms & other relevant information like recent travel, age & gender. This evaluation takes place on the app & the results are communicated to you immediately in terms of green, yellow or orange colours, indicating progressively higher possibilities of infection. If based on yourself reported information, there is a probability that you might be infected, and the app will ask you to upload & the share the results of your self-assessment so that the Government of India can take appropriate medical & administrative measures.
WHAT DO THE VARIOUS COLORS OF THE HOME SCREEN ON AAROGYA SETU APP SIGNIFY?
The Home Screen has four classifications signifying increasing risk of infection: Green, Yellow, Orange and Red.
- Green: The Green classification on your screen signifies that you are safe or at Low Risk.
You are safe when:
• Either you haven’t met anyone who has been tested COVID-19 positive or
• You haven’t declared any symptoms and conditions related to COVID-19 during Self-Assessment or both or
• You haven’t taken the self-assessment yet.
You will be classified at Low Risk
• You have come in contact with a tested COVID-19 positive but at a relatively long distance or for short duration or
• You have declared any mild symptoms or conditions related to COVID-19 during Self-Assessment, then you may be shown at a low risk
- Yellow: The Yellow classification on your screen signifies moderate risk of infection:
• You may have met someone who has been tested COVID-19 positive, but your interaction was limited and socially distant or
• You have indicated one of the symptoms of conditions related to COVID-19 during Self-Assessment.
- Orange: The Orange classification on your screen signifies a high risk of infection:
• You have recently met someone who has been tested COVID-19 positive, and you came in close proximity with that someone during the meeting and/or for a significant period of time or
• You have indicated symptoms and/or conditions related to COVID-19 during Self-Assessment.
- Red: The Red classification on your screen signifies you have been tested COVID-19 positive.
WHAT DOES VARIOUS NUMBERS ON THE APP ‘S HOME SCREEN SIGNIFY?
The Aarogya Setu Home screen shows four statistics for your live location. If you move from point A to point B, the numbers will change in accordance with your live location:
• Number of users within X distance from your location who have taken the self-assessment test
• Number of Aarogya Setu Users within X distance from your location
• Number of users within X distance from your location who have indicated one or more of the three symptoms for COVID-19
• Number of users within X distance from your location who have been tested COVID-19 positive
• Number of users within X distance from your location who have come in direct contact with someone has been tested COVID-19 positive
• Where X can be any one of the following values depending upon the user’s choice of selection: 500m, 1km, 2km, 5km, 10km.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
If my neighbour tests positive for COVID-19, will the fact that my app has connected with his on Bluetooth mean that I am marked as positive for COVID-19 even if I have remained indoors and never come in physical contact with him?
Aarogya Setu only calculates the possible risk of infection based on your interaction with someone who is later tested COVID-19 positive. Aarogya Setu only marks someone COVID19 positive when this information has been received from ICMR. If your app has connected with your neighbour’s app through Bluetooth, and your neighbour tests positive for COVID-19, Aarogya Setu will analyse his Bluetooth interaction. A neighbour testing positive puts you at risk if you have come in direct contact with him i.e. within the social distance (usually 6 feet or less) for a significant period of time. If the two of you haven’t been in physical contact and you have remained indoors, it is unlikely that your risk of infection will be high.
The app is showing “You are Safe” on my mobile, but it is showing “Low risk of infection” on my parent’s phone. We are staying in the same house and we have not gone out of our house during the last 2 weeks. How’s this possible that it shows different risk levels for different members of the family?
The risk status is calculated based on various factors, including the age, pre-existing medical condition and other responses which has been provided by the user during the self-assessment. It also correlates this with the proximity of the user near any potential COVID19 hotspots or COVID19 infected persons. As you and your parents may have provided different responses in the self-assessment questionnaire, it is quite possible that you both may get different risk status.
I’m not COVID-19 positive, but the app is showing that I’m COVID-19 positive. My mobile number was used by my relative during his COVID-19 Sample testing, He has tested positive for COVID-19. What should I do if the app is showing a wrong COVID-19 status?
Aarogya Setu updates the COVID-19 data received from the health authorities. Kindly contact your local District Surveillance Officer (DSO) or State Surveillance Officer (SSO), for correcting the discrepancies (if any).
Why am I requested to keep my Bluetooth switched at all times?
Aarogya Setu relies on Bluetooth technology to identify instances of your interactions with other devices that have the app installed. Currently, Bluetooth provides most accurate measure of your close proximity with other devices. Only if it is kept enabled, will it be able to collect the proximity information, as and when you come in contact with other devices which have the app installed.
If I keep my Bluetooth switched on at all times, will it not drain the battery of my mobile phone?
The Aarogya Setu app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a variant that has negligible battery drain. In addition, we are continuously working on improving device efficiency and will roll out these features in future updates.
Where can I read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy of Aarogya Setu?
The Terms of Service are accessible from https://static1.swaraksha.gov.in/tnc/ and the Privacy Policy is accessible from https://static1.swaraksha.gov.in/privacy/ .
References:
Where can I read the terms of service before becoming a …. https://community.fizz.ca/questions/1825931-can-read-terms-service-becoming-customer
What information Arogya Sethu collects and stores? Know …. https://facelesscompliance.com/6157/what-information-arogya-sethu-collects-and-stores-know-change-in-privacy-policy-and-terms-recently-by-govt
MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh on Aarogya Setu, Nagaland’s COVID …. https://morungexpress.com/index.php/mygov-ceo-abhishek-singh-aarogya-setu-nagalands-covid-19-response
Aarogya Setu – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarogya_Setu
