Covid-19: Tunisia launches virus-tracking app

Tunisian people wearing protective face masks walk in the Habib Bourguiba avenue in the capital Tunis on May 12, 2020, following the easing of the lockdown measures put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus Covid-19. An awareness campaign will encourage people to install the application, but ‘if download rates remain low, we may change our strategy, Kchaou said. This could include making downloading the application compulsory for people to enter large public spaces. — AFP

TUNIS: Tunisia on May 19 launched a contact-tracing mobile phone app that identifies and alerts users who may have had contact with others infected with the new coronavirus.

The E7mi application, available on Android and awaiting validation for Apple's iOS, was developed by a Tunisian startup specialising in digital marketing tools for foreign companies, the health ministry told AFP.