Covid-19: Nearly two million Australians download coronavirus tracker app

The new COVIDSafe app by the Australian government as seen on a smartphone in Sydney. More than one million Australians have downloaded a new government smartphone app designed to make coronavirus contact tracing easier, as the country moves to ease stay-at-home restrictions. — AFP

SYDNEY: Nearly two million Australians rushed to download a new smartphone app designed to make coronavirus contact tracing easier, the government said Monday, overlooking privacy concerns in the hope of speeding up the end of social-distancing lockdowns.

Health Minister Greg Hunt hailed take-up since the app was released Sunday evening as "extraordinary", saying 1.9 million people had downloaded the program in less than 24 hours.