Tonga ‘Atautolu (“Application”) for mobile devices created and belongs to the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, and issued under sections 139 and 140 of the Public Health Act (referred to herein as the “Act”) to enhance Tonga’s efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 through community-driven contact tracing. The app notifies the users quickly if they have been exposed to COVID-19 infected person through close contact proximity while protecting their privacy.
The app uses the Bluetooth feature of the phone where the Bluetooth signals are encrypted and anonymized exchanged with nearby devices. All the data captured are stored securely on the users device. It’ll be only shared with the Ministry of Health (MOH) for contact tracing if the user is tested positive for COVID-19 and all Bluetooth data stored on the phone will automatically delete after 28 days. The QR scanner check-in data is directly sent to the secured database.
Tonga ‘Atautolu assists to ensure that we don’t spread the virus to our loved ones unknowingly. It also helps to support the work of contact tracers and healthcare workers by combating the spread of COVID-19 together. The users will be required to use their phone numbers to register to the app. For registration, we need your content to collect your mobile number. This is required for the health officials to contact you at the earliest if you are tested positive or came across close to any of the COVID-19 positive Tonga ‘Atautolu users.
The QR scanner data collects the date, time, QR scanner information which has building, level, location, village, island for informing the users about the date, time, and location the user was at if there was also a positive case at that duration and location. There is an option for the user to choose from English or Tongan language to view the text content of the app. There is also a Memory/Diary feature in the app which allows the users to note their whereabouts as a memory refresher for the future.