Tracing apps take centre stage for EU Supervisory Authorities

摘要

EU Members States, supported by the EU Commission, have #developed an EU toolbox for the use of mobile applications for contact tracing and warning, as part of a common coordinated approach to support the gradual lifting of confinement measures. Contact tracing is now the focal point of Supervisory Authorities and governments worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation, contact tracing is 'the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission'. In the early stages of a pandemic, contact tracing is usually a manual process when an infected individual shares a list of their social interactions with an epidemiology team, who follow up with the individual's contacts to assess symptoms and recommend self-isolation. However, this is very labour intensive. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a contact tracing app may be able to slow the spread of the virus, but its success depends not only on the technological solution adopted, but also widespread adoption.