Jersey Covid Alert app interoperability with Scotland and Northern Ireland

Those who have downloaded the Jersey COVID Alert app do not need to do anything for this to work, they simply need to keep the app active while in Scotland and Northern Ireland and their phone will be able to interact with the relevant apps in those places, and continue to alert users if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.  Likewise, if users of Jersey COVID Alert app test positive in Jersey, any visiting users of Protect Scotland or StopCOVID NI will receive a notification if they are at risk.

The smartphone applications are an important tool in the fight to minimise the spread of COVID-19, and we encourage Islanders to download and make full use of the app.

Securing interoperability between our apps is an area of shared priority and is important to help protect individuals who travel, and those around them. 

Julian Blazeby, Director General for Justice and Home Affairs said:

“The Jersey COVID Alert app is a vital tool in helping suppress COVID-19 and I welcome that the app now works with other alert applications in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  

“This compatibility will allow those travelling to continue to be alerted via the Jersey COVID Alert app, if they have been in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case while in Scotland or Northern Ireland.” 

We are working closely with all other partners to develop a secure technical architecture to deliver interoperability throughout the UK, including the NHS COVID-19 app used in England and Wales, which we hope will soon follow.

Since the launch of the Jersey COVID Alert app two weeks ago, more than 35,500 people have downloaded it and at least 4 people have been contacted via the app to let them know they may be at risk (notified users who have not allowed app metrics cannot be counted). This is allows people to self-isolate quickly if they have been exposed to the virus, reducing the risk of them infecting others.

We also know that not everyone uses a smartphone or will be able to or want to access the app, which is why the app is very much there to complement the existing contact tracing methods.