Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Photo credit: World Economic Forum / Manuel Lopez, under Creative Commons license

The government of India has mandated that all private and public sector workers in the country must download and make use of a government-backed contact tracing app, and also maintain social distancing across offices as the country begins softening some of its lock-down efforts. On Friday, the Indian government released a statement noting that the country would extend nationwide lock-downs for an extra two weeks beginning on Monday, the 4th of May, but will allow “considerable relaxations” in areas deemed as lower-risk as regards to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian government’s contact tracing app is named Aarogya Setu (Health Bridge) and was launched last month. Basically, it’s a Bluetooth and GPS-based system that alerts users who may have come in contact with persons that later test positive for the coronavirus. “Use of Aarogya Setu shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public,” India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said late on Friday. The Ministry also stated that the responsibility “to ensure 100% coverage” would be delegated to company heads.

India’s contact tracing app has already been downloaded about 83 million times, out of the country’s smartphone base of about 500 million.