MD COVID Alert

Dear Goucher community,

Yesterday, the state of Maryland announced the launch of MD COVID Alert to quickly notify users who might have been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19. To help reduce infections in Maryland, the state is asking those living in Maryland to enable MD COVID Alert push notifications on their iPhone or Android smartphones. There is no cost for the service. This program has already been rolled out in a number of states and has helped greatly with contact tracing. If you live outside of Maryland, please check with your state’s Health department to see if Apple and Google exposure notifications or a state app is available.

The MD COVID Alert system works by assigning a random ID to ensure that a user’s identity and whereabouts can’t be traced. The system further protects users’ privacy by using Bluetooth technology rather than GPS so it does not track any location data. In addition, the service does not collect, transmit, or store any personal information, and your identity will never be revealed to anyone.

Visit https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/mdcovidalert/ to learn more about how the MD COVID Alert system works and to view step-by-step instructions on enabling this service. 

While participation in this program is completely voluntary, we encourage you to enable Exposure Notification on your iPhone or Android smartphone to help contract tracing efforts in the state which ultimately will help us all control the spread of the virus. 

Be safe.