The Government's NZ Covid Tracer app is one step closer to getting a Bluetooth update.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed Bluetooth tracing has been trialled, and it’s being “actively considered”.
The tech has been used in Singapore and Australia, and utilises a phone’s Bluetooth chip to record close contacts.
It uses those signals to "shake hands" with other phones that a person is in close contact with.
If someone tests positive for the disease, the records of those possible contact points are used to determine how likely it is they’ve infected someone else.
If required, an alert is triggered to help prevent the further spread of the virus.
The tech isn’t perfect, through, and it’s resulted in competitors Google and Apple working together to make it more accurate.
The Ministry of Health has completed its evaluation and an options paper will be presented to ministers in the coming weeks.
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