ALLENDALE, Mich — Grand Valley State University is encouraging its students to use a new COVID-19 tracking app called NOVID.
GVSU announced its implementation of the app Tuesday, saying the digital tool will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the university, NOVID uses Bluetooth and ultrasound sensors on smartphones to measure how far away other NOVID users are and how long users have interacted. When a user reports a positive case, a token generated by GVSU is used to send notifications to its NOVID network.
The app’s notification process is completely anonymous and does not display any personal information. GVSU said the app underwent an independent privacy review by Georgia Tech and the GVSU IT Team.
Although not required, GVSU is strongly encouraging its students to download and use the app.
Since the beginning of the fall semester, GVSU has been randomly selecting students for COVID-19 tests. Since Aug. 1, GVSU has confirmed a total of 964 positive cases in the Laker community.
GVSU reported 66 currently active cases Wednesday, Oct. 7.
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