Primary Issue: People are asked to keep 1.5m away (i.e. social distancing); people are not aware of how to do this or when they aren't.
Secondary Issue: Identifying and notifying people that you have come into contact with.
Solution: If technically feasable, use the 'nearby devices' capability (via Bluetooth) to determine when someone is 'close', emitting an alarm or beeping the closer someone gets (similar to reversing sensors). This makes BOTH parties aware that social distancing is not being performed and they can move apart.
The app should allow nearby devices to be 'trusted' so that family members are not constantly triggering the alarm.
The app should log each nearby device as it is located - ie store time, geo location and device details.
When someone is diagnosied with covid OR has been in contact, then they can access the log to get a list of people that need to be contacted. The user can then work through the list and contact the people that they know.
Depending on what information can be logged, there may be another website where you can put your phone details in and it checks to see whether any associated devices have flagged as needing to self-isolate.
The key 'sell' point of the app is that it helps others by protecting he user - it is not to trying to collect information for the government. Only publicly available information would be used
Limitations: Only works when people are carrying a phone with the app installed and/or Bluetooth installed. Addressed by:
- Most people carry their phone when out
- When the app identifies that someone is close, advise the person to download the app (so the app spreads like the virus)
- Communication in the media (noting that the 'younger' generation is the biggest risk but are the most tech-savvy
Note: The idea is a combination of the app developed by Austria and the approach taken by my wife at her bootcamp - she gave each member a 1.5m pole to help them maintain distance. Everyone joked that it would be great to be able to take the poles out into the public and 'whack' anyone who came too close.