Schreiner statement on contact tracing app

June 18, 2020

QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released this statement after the Premier announced that Ontario would begin testing a COVID-19 contact tracing app:

“Contact tracing is our best defence against a resurgence of the virus and digital technology is an important tool for tracking the movement of COVID-19.

But we cannot pin all of our hopes on a voluntary app that might not enjoy widespread uptake among the public.

This technology is promising, but it cannot be the centrepiece of our containment strategy when it will be inaccessible or undesirable for many people.

Older adults and people with disabilities, who are more vulnerable to COVID-19, might not have the ability to use this app, while others will have serious data privacy concerns.

The province will need other methods of keeping people safe that do not depend on mobile technology.

Proactive testing, which can be made available to everyone, must remain a priority to stay ahead of the virus.”

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