Unfortunately, there is no ONE miracle cure for the Corona pandemic. Vaccination is an important building block, but adherence to AHAL rules and expanding testing strategies are also incredibly important in the fight against the corona virus. To make another building block more effective, the Hesse state government is now introducing the Luca app, a centralized solution for digitally tracking contacts.
The goal is that use by as many people as possible will make the app a useful addition to the vaccination and testing strategy in Hesse. It is intended to help exactly where the Corona warning app cannot be used effectively. It should largely replace error-prone and possibly incomplete paper lists and document contacts. In the event of a proven Corona infection, these can be transmitted to the relevant health authority in encrypted form and read out directly. In this way, contacts with infected persons are identified in compliance with data protection regulations and chains of infection are interrupted. Within the framework of an award procedure carried out by the IT service provider "Dataport", Hesse today declared its entry into the contract with the provider "culture4life".
Installation from next week
In addition to Hesse, numerous other federal states have also participated in the negotiations. After all, such an app can be particularly effective if it is used as comprehensively as possible. The contracts for the use of the Luca app are to be concluded by the end of March, so that the app can be made available to all Hessian health offices as well as the Hessian State Examination and Testing Office in Public Health (HLPUG) in the next few weeks. The software is to be installed at the first six Hessian health offices as early as next week. The use of the app is currently available free of charge to the trade or the gastronomic or cultural sector. More than two million euros have been made available by the Hessian state government for the use of the app for the health offices for an initial period of one year.
Support for future opening steps
."Digital contact tracing is an essential component in combating the pandemic. The Luca app supports our efforts for future opening steps, for example in the retail, gastronomic and cultural sectors, and simplifies communication between health authorities and operators as well as event organisers," emphasised CIO Patrick Burghardt, State Secretary in Hesse's Department of Digital Strategy and Development. "With the app, chains of infection are detected more quickly, thus providing the opportunity to avoid further lockdowns or closures if necessary," Burghardt added.
Ease of use
A big advantage of the app is also its ease of use: With the Luca app, for example, users register when they visit a restaurant or attend an event by scanning a QR code with their smartphone. When leaving the restaurant or event, the person checks out again. Should a person infected with Corona have been in the vicinity at the same time, this information is transmitted to the responsible health department in encrypted form after appropriate release in accordance with data protection regulations.
More info can also be found at: https://www.luca-app.de/
