Sault Ste. Marie using locally-made app for COVID-19 screening
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is launching a locally developed COVID-19 screening and contact tracing app at its facilities.
Among other things, the CommunityPass app allows people to self-screen for symptoms and check-in to various locations to help with contact tracing.
CommunityPass also stores testing results and proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The app uses beacon technology and Bluetooth. Dr. Lucas Castellani, a physician at Sault Area Hospital and one of the doctors behind the project, said beacons are being installed at various city-run facilities.
“They’re going to put them in most of the community centres and buses,” said Castellani. “So if you have it turned on, on your phone that you have this auto check-in type process through Bluetooth technology, it will automatically check you in.”
GFL Memorial Gardens, which houses the Sault’s vaccination hub, and other facilities such as the John Rhodes Community Centre will have beacons installed by the city.
Brent Lamming, Sault Ste. Marie’s director of community services, said the app comes at a good time as the economy has slowly begun to reopen.
“It’s totally voluntary -- it’s not mandatory by any means,” said Lamming. “But it’s another tool in the toolbox to be able to utilize to help with contact tracing and to store your vaccination results in a one-stop spot.”
Castellani said beacons are being offered to small businesses at no cost, while the app is free for individuals to download. He said CommunityPass could be used beyond the current pandemic should we experience another one down the road.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.