Students at Westminster College must download a phone app that will warn them when they’ve come in contact with someone on campus who has contracted COVID-19, the college announced Monday.
The app will be called Westminster Safe. It was one of a number of pandemic precautions announced Monday by Daniel K. Cairo, the college’s interim dean of students, and emailed to students and posted to a campus website.
Westminster Safe tracks whom the user has been close to for 15 minutes or more. It alerts the user when he or she has had an exposure to someone on campus who has tested positive for COVID-19.
“No data is collected by the college or any third party; data is stored on your smartphone only,” Cairo’s announcement said. “The app does not identify who has been infected or who is being notified of exposure.”
The app was developed by Westminster alumnus Taymour Semnani, CEO of the tech firm Ferry, LLC. Semnani has said he offered a similar app to the state of Utah.
Some states and foreign governments have promoted such apps as a way to help monitor and mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
Westminster’s residence halls are scheduled to open Friday. Classes begin Aug. 19.
