Quebec abandons opposition to federal COVID app as province is swamped with new cases

Quebec will start using the federal government's COVID-19 exposure alert app in the coming days, the provincial government said Tuesday, reversing its earlier opposition to the technology in an effort to slowa rapid increase in infections.

The ongoing wave of infections has already prompted the Quebec government to shut bars, restaurant dining rooms and theatres for most of Octoberin the densest areas of the province. Social gatherings at home have also been banned.

Nearly half of the new cases in the province are coming fromQuebecers under the age of 30, according to public health officials.

But officials also say they have had difficulty tracing those who have been in contact with a positive case,hampering efforts to isolatepotentially contagious individuals.

On Tuesday, Health Minister ChristianDubsaid he was in the process of finalizing details about adopting the federal app, COVID Alert, which informs users when they have had prolonged contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

"We're in the final stages of technical preparations to be ableto connect with the federal app," he said at a news conference in Quebec City.

There are currently four provinces using the app:Ontario,Newfoundland and Labrador,Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are likely to follow suit soon.

COVID Alert has been downloaded by around 3 million people in Canada, making it one of the most popular apps in the country.

Quebec drops opposition to federal app

But the idea of using amobile phone app to help with contact tracing had faced significant opposition from Quebec politicians as recently as last month.

An all-party legislative committee concluded in August that the benefits of the technology were limited, and did not outweigh privacy concerns.

Premier FranoisLegaultendorsed those findings and said the province wouldn't sign on toCOVID Alert. He added that if the province weregoing to use an app, he would prefer it to have been developed inQuebec.

Since then, Ottawahad been nudging Quebec to reconsider. Federal Health MinisterPatty Hajdupublished an open letter last week in Montreal's La Presse newspaper, arguing the app would help Quebec slow the spread of COVID-19.

With cases now rising exponentially, and public health officials worried about whether the health-care systemcan withstand the surge, Quebec decided it couldn't wait for a local solution to emerge.

"When we took all the factors into consideration including the development time it would have taken for a Quebec firm to be ready we took the right decision to go with the app that is alreadyready,"Dubsaid.

Critical threshold

The health minister, though, also acknowledged the government will need to convince enough Quebecers to use the app for it to be effective.

It is not only a matter of downloading the app,Dubsaid.Users have to be willing to input a unique code if they test positive for the disease. That unique code triggers the alert system.

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Quebec Premier Franois Legault says young people may not get hit hard by the virus, but they can have lasting health problems and transmit the disease to seniors.

"Itwill take theparticipation of a high percentage to make sure that it makes a difference," he said.

Before the app becomes operational in Quebec,Dubwants to meet with the opposition parties and secure their support for the move.

There remains some convincing to do on that front.

The Liberal spokesperson on the file,MarwahRizqy, said she was concerned the province's testing capacity won't be able to meet the heightened demand generated by the app.

"It's a good thing the app tells you might want to get tested,"Rizqysaid. "But if you're going to wait hours and hours, and then wait 10 days for the result, then it won't help us."