A smartphone user checks the new app Hà Nội SmartCity. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội has activated a smartphone app that allows the authorities to keep check on quarantined patients and lets the patients themselves update health information.

It also shows the public where about in the city people who have tested positive, or came into contact with positive patients, were staying.

Details of Hà Nội SmartCity were revealed on Wednesday by Nguyễn Đức Chung, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hà Nội.

It aims to provide local people information about the COVID-19 pandemic, a map of tracking the spread of the virus in the city as well as supervise infected and quarantined citizens.

The app enables monitoring both infected people and those who are required to be quarantined via GPS system.

The app was designed by the city’s Informatics Centre and the city’s Centre for Disease Control. To download the app, people have to search for the keyword “Hà Nội SmartCity” on the Google Play Store or App Store and then install it on the device.

The app has two sections, one for the people and another for the Government. Currently, the whole list of quarantined people has been updated to the system.

People, who are required to be quarantined, will register and create an account by their smartphone and identity card.

After the system synchronises data, it will notify the app user to turn on GPS for monitoring.

People can use the integrated functions to report daily health information, keep track of information about the pandemic developments provided by the city authority and discuss with the local health authorities via the app.

Local administration will be provided a map to monitor the entire distribution of outbreaks in the city. When a quarantined or infected person on the map leaves the location, immediately the person in charge of supervision will receive a notification message to know how far the quarantined or infected person is.

Also at the meeting, Chung also said the city decided to allow students from primary to high school level and vocational training schools to continue being off from school until April 5.

It aimed to ensure the health and safety of students, he said.

Chung told the city’s Education and Training Department to prepare a specific plan of teaching students programmes via television until April 5. — VNS