Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the launch of a new app that let's Louisianian's know if they've exposed to COVID-19.

The new, free app is called COVID Defense and it's now available for Google and Android users. The hope is that the app will aid in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

KATC.com reports that users of the COVID Defense app will "receive notifications informing them if there is a risk they were exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus" and that use of the app is "completely voluntary, private, and secure."

Users of the COVID Defense app opt in to use it after downloading and can opt out at any time. No personal information is required to use the app and according to coviddefensela.com it doesn't not track your location.

"When COVID Defense is voluntarily activated, the tool uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random tokens between phones without revealing the user's identity or location. To help ensure these random tokens can’t be used to identify you or your location, they change every 10-20 minutes."

How exactly does the COVID Defense app work?

From KATC.com -

1. Download the application
Download the free app in the iPhone App Store or Android Google Play Store. Add your phone to Louisiana's exposure notification system to get COVID-19 exposure alerts and to protect those around you.

2. Opt in anonymously
Once you opt in, COVID Defense will generate an anonymous token for your device. To help ensure these anonymous tokens can’t be used to identify you or your location, they change every 10-20 minutes.

3. Get notified if exposed
On a daily basis, your phone downloads a list of all the anonymous tokens associated with positive COVID-19 cases and checks them against the list of anonymous tokens it has encountered in the last 14 days. If there’s a match, the app will notify you with further instructions on how to keep you and the people around you safe.

iPhone users can download the app HERE and android users can download it HERE.

Read more at KATC.com.

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