Russia to use mobile phones to track people at risk

Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, on Monday, ordered authorities to develop a system to track people who have come in contact with anyone with coronavirus.

The software will pick out such persons using phone geolocation data.

They would be asked if they came into contact with someone who was infected and the same information would be passed on to special regional headquarters set up to fight the pandemic.

Reuters reports that the Kremlin explained that measure was legal and meant to stop spread of the virus.

Those to be contacted will be tracked through information from cellular operators about the geolocation of a cell phone of a particular person.

Russia Communications Ministry, in a statement, said this “would allow citizens to be notified over the phone if they have been in contact with a person suffering from the new coronavirus, sending relevant messages to inform them of the need for self-isolation”.

Russia has banned the entry of foreigners. The country currently has 438 confirmed cases and one death.

Nigeria has recorded two deaths including an American.