MD COVID Alert

MD COVID Alert pairs seamlessly with Maryland’s traditional contact tracing efforts by using Exposure Notifications technology to notify users who may have been exposed to an infected person. Opt-in today to participate in protecting all Marylanders from COVID-19.

I’ve Been Alerted Contact Tracing FAQs

How Your Privacy is Protected

You have full control to opt in to receive Exposure Notifications and can turn it off at any time.
The service will never track your location — it uses Bluetooth rather than GPS.
Your identity will never be revealed to anyone.
The service will never collect, transmit or store any of your personal information.
Learn more about MD COVID Alert’s Privacy Policy

How it works

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, MD COVID Alert uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to quickly notify users who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

STEP ONE

For iPhones: Go to Settings and Turn On Exposure Notifications. Opt-in and select your region as Maryland and complete the onboarding as needed.

To enable MD COVID Alert, you must have one of the following iOS versions:

iPhone 6s or newer: iOS 13.7 or later
iPhone 5s, 6, or 6 Plus: iOS 12.5

All older devices are currently not supported. Apple is working on solutions. We will share updates as more information is available.

For Android Devices: The MD COVID Alert app is available on Google Play. You can also search for “MD COVID Alert” directly in the Play Store.

Android users can use MD COVID Alert if their phone supports Bluetooth Low Energy, Android Version 6 (API 23) or above, and can access the Google Play Store.

STEP TWO

Once you opt-in (iPhone) or download the app (Android), the system will assign you a random identification number. The numbers change every 10-20 minutes and cannot be used to identify you or your location. MD COVID Alert uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology—not Location settings—to determine when any two or more random identification numbers (i.e., phones) have been in contact for 15 minutes or more at a distance of 6 feet or less.

Man researching information on mobile device

STEP THREE

MD COVID Alert does not need to be open to work; it will run in the background, without draining your battery or data, to exchange these privacy-preserving random identification numbers via Bluetooth. Users do have to enable Bluetooth in order to detect how close you are to the phones of other users.

STEP FOUR

Each day the system downloads the list of all random identification numbers associated with verified positive COVID-19 cases and checks them against all numbers encountered in the two days prior to the positive test or symptom onset date.

STEP FIVE

If there’s a match, the user will be notified of the possible exposure to COVID-19 and instructed about what to do next.

MD COVID Alert is a fundamental part of contact tracing and Maryland’s effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

See Dr. Katherine Feldman, Director of the MD Department of Health Contact Tracing Unit, discuss how MD COVID alert and contact tracing work together.