Many human lives were lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It still brings unprecedented challenges to food systems, public health, etc.

The social and economic disruption is devastating. As per the sources, over 10 million people will be falling into the category of extreme poverty.

India fights COVID-19 with the Aarogya Setu app

The first case of COVID-19 was identified on January 30, 2020, in India. On the same date, WHO announced it as a Public Health Emergency. Two months later, India went into lockdown.

After 10 weeks i.e on June 8, India initiated Unlock 1.0. But official cases of COVID-19 stood over by June 30. Even though recovery rates were high but death rates were slow. This made India the fourth most highly-impacted country.

In spite, there was a gradual digitization evolution. There was the proliferation of many mobile apps. Several measures were taken by the Indian government and companies. One such measure is the introduction and deployment of an app- “Aarogya Setu”.

Source: NCPI

Unlike any other country, India is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evolution of AarogyaSetu App

The “Aarogya Setu” was introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. All Android and iOS users can download this app on their smartphones. The aim of this app was to provide information to the user.

The Indian government launched this app on April 02, 2020. This app was developed in 21 days. It could respond to pandemic exigencies with lockdown restrictions.

The main agenda of this app was to protect the citizens of India from the mass spread of coronavirus.

Aarogya Setu app uses the mechanism of contact tracing via Bluetooth. This app records all the information of the people who came in contact. It will analyze your routine activities.

Source: Aarogya Setu App

It gives curated and relevant advisories of medicine that pertains to COVID-19. The terms of the service app were transparent. It stated that it will provide suitable support for the COVID-19 infection. The app will also trace the affected person nearby. It will also notify the user about the infection.

Different stages

• The Airport Authority of India released a Standard Operating Procedure on 21 May 2020. According to SOP, all passengers were to register to Aarogya Setu App for traveling.

It also gave the guideline that this app is not necessary for children below the age group of 14 years. On 22 May 2020 Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri gave clarification. He cleared that the mobile app is not essential for passengers.

• Global developers could access the app code of the app from 26 May 2020. In fact, this step assisted many countries to manage contact tracing.
• In March 2021, the portal of Co-Win was linked with this app. This helped many users to schedule their appointment for vaccination against COVID-19. The user needs to register their phone number along with the relevant document.

Working of Aarogya Setu App

This mobile app employs contact tracing. It will keep a track of every individual that a registered user meets.

Bluetooth and GPS are the key players in the functioning of the app.

Please check the breakdown below to know how this app traces the people in real-time:-

• Once you install the app, you need to give permission to the app to access GPS and Bluetooth.
• With the Bluetooth functionality, the app will identify all the proximal users.
• Simultaneously, with the tagging of GSP, you can visit the place with precision.

Note:- GPS tagging takes place every 15 minutes.

• The records will be securely stored on your smartphone.

Step-by-step procedure to function the Aarogya Setu app

Step #1: Download the Aarogya Setu application.
Step #2: Make sure to run the application. Do not forget to give access For GPS and Bluetooth access.
Step #3: Check on your registered phone for the OTP. Enter the OTP and proceed.
Step #4: Choose your gender.
Step #5: Next, you enter your personal details. This includes your name, profession, and age.
Step #6: Please ensure to fill in all the details regarding the international trips or travel (if any).
Step #7: Finally, take the 20-sec self-assessment test for any signs of COVID-19.

Tools and features of the Aarogya Setu app

Source: Aarogya Setu App

This app has four sections. They are:-

• Updates on COVID-19

In this section, the user will get updates on the national and local COVID-19 cases.

• User status

It is basically a notifying section wherein the user will get a notification. The user will get messages related to the risk of getting Covid-19, etc.

• Self assess

Here, the user can figure out the symptoms of coronavirus. It will also show the risk associated with the profile.

• Integration of e-Pass

Suppose the user applies for an e-Pass, they can download it from here.

The app will notify the registered users of the COVID-19 infected cases. The user will get the data within a radius of 500m, 1 Km, 2 Km, 5 Km, and so on.

This effective mobile app is developed on a platform that offers API. Hence, any web services, computer programs, or mobile apps can make use of this data/ feature.

Source: Aarogya Setu App

Significance of various colors on the Home Screen of the Aarogya Setu App

The Home screen is classified into four colors. They are:-

• Red: It means you are COVID-19 positive!!
• Yellow: It denotes that you are at moderate risk
• Green: It signifies that you are at low risk
• Orange: It means that you are at high risk

What do experts say about the Aarogya Setu app?

According to the experts, this app was the perfect surveillance tool. It will specifically analyze the surveillance activities at the regional level. Aarogya Setu app is available in 11 multilingual languages. It is available in English and 10 regional languages of India.

Services of the app for smartphone users

Once a user installs the app, he/ she needs to answer the questions. The details (as in answers) are shared on the Government server.

The app is designed in order to maintain the privacy of the users. The data accumulated by the app is encrypted utilizing state-of-the-art technology.

Services of the app for feature phone users

IVRS was featured for the users with landlines and feature phones. The service is toll-free. The user needs to give a missed call on the number -”1921”.

Response to the Aarogya Setu App

Over 5 million apps were downloaded within the 3 days of its launch and received a huge response. It is one of the prominent apps of the Indian Government.

It was one of the quickly growing apps, beating Pokémon Go. The Central Government made it compulsory for the working class to download this app.

Before starting for the office, the employee must check the Aarogya Setu app. Companies like GST Suvidha Kendra® ensured that their employees download this app.

They ensured that their employees review the status regularly. The management also ensured that their employees commute only when the app directs low risk or safe.

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Some FAQ related to Aarogya Setu App

1. Why should I download the Aarogya Setu App?

The wrath of the novel Coronavirus is not yet over. It is not any compulsion to install this app. But there are numerous advantages that can help you. Thin includes:-

• Give an assessment of whether you are putting up in a hotspot area.
• Check safety guidelines to avoid the infection.
• Self assesses whether you are symptomatic of infection.
• You will get more support in case of high risk. This includes treatment options to cut any health risks from COVID-19. You will also get
• guidelines to quarantine in case of infection.
• The app employs contact sourcing. Hence, it will give notification about the infection.
• You will get updates about the COVID-19 cases near you.

2. How can I get started with the Aarogya Setu App?

You can install the Aarogya Setu app from the Google Play Store or App Store. You can even visit https://web.swaraksha.gov.in/in/ to download the app. Even Jio phone users can download the app from Jio AppStores.

Install the app and follow the guidelines. You need to click “Always” for GPS location and Bluetooth accessibility.

3. How does the app know if I am tested COVID-19 positive?

If you are tested positive, the testing lab will share the report with ICMR. Indian Council of Medical Research is the nodal agency of the government to test COVID-19. They share the list with the server of Aarogya Setu.

Suppose you are tested positive and have the Aarogya Setu app, you can see your status as red. It is because the sources update the server regularly. This process in fact helps in contact tracing.

4. Where can I check the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service of the Aarogya Setu app?

You can access the Privacy Policy from https://static1.swaraksha.gov.in/privacy/. For Terms of Use, kindly check https://static1.swaraksha.gov.in/tnc/.

5. How do I share suggestions and feedback on the Aarogya Setu app?

You can leave your suggestions and feedback as a comment on AppStore and Playstore. If you want, you can share an email at support[dot]AarogyaSetu[at]gov[dot]in. The team of this app is committed to responding to and reviewing the queries.