Inslee announces statewide COVID-19 exposure notification tool
WA Notify uses privacy-preserving technology and works without collecting or revealing any location or personal data.
Governor's Medium Page
Gov. Jay Inslee, along with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), today announced the launch of WA Notify, a simple, anonymous exposure notification tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19. By adding WA Notify to their smartphones, Washington residents will be alerted if they spent time near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for COVID-19.
WA Notify uses privacy-preserving technology jointly developed by Google and Apple and works without collecting or revealing any location or personal data.
“Secure, private and anonymous exposure notification technology is an important tool for Washington,” Inslee said Monday. “We’ve deployed WA Notify in 29 languages so as many Washington residents as possible can protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. I encourage everyone to start using WA Notify today so we can continue to work together to contain this virus.”
Data models for three counties in Washington found that COVID-19 infections and deaths could be reduced if even a small percentage of people enabled WA Notify. Studies from Oxford University and Stanford also show that the more people who use exposure notification technology, the more effective it is.
“WA Notify complements the actions Washington residents are already taking, like wearing masks, physical distancing and keeping gatherings small,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “We’re excited to be joining the states already using this safe and secure technology and encourage all Washingtonians to join the effort.”
When voluntarily activated, phones with WA Notify use Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes with the phones of other users they are near. It does this without revealing a user’s identity or location. Users who test positive for COVID-19 can enter a verification code provided by public health into WA Notify, so that other users who have been near them within the last 14 days can be anonymously alerted and take appropriate action.
WA Notify is free and can be enabled in iPhone settings or downloaded as an app from the Google Play Store for Android phones. Users can opt out at any time. Several states including Virginia, New York and Colorado are using this tool. Countries successfully using this technology include Ireland, Canada and Germany.
“People are understandably concerned these days about being tracked and having their personal information compromised,” said Associate Professor Stefano Tessaro with the UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “However, the technology behind WA Notify has been vetted by security and privacy experts across the world, and it does not collect or store any information that personally identifies its users. I plan to add WA Notify to my phone and I will encourage my friends and family to use it as well.”
Before launching WA Notify, Washington state received a recommendation to adopt the technology from an oversight committee which included security and civil liberties experts and community leaders representing communities of color, individuals with disabilities and other communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The committee originally examined an app developed by the University of Washington (UW) that informed the technology for the Google Apple solution.
UW contributors to the app include the schools of computer science, medicine, public health and nursing, as well as support from the Brotman Baty Institute. The UW tested WA Notify with students during the month of November to help inform a successful statewide roll-out.
IN OTHER STATE HEADLINES
Statement from Commissioner Suzi LeVine regarding ongoing state audits--ESD
11/29/2020
“Our agency has welcomed these audits from the beginning and we continue to do so. The Employment Security Department and State Auditor’s Office have the shared goal of a secure and continuously improving unemployment system that consistently works better for Washingtonians. We remain firmly committed to full transparency and are collaborating closely with the State Auditor and her staff, as we have all along.
“The State Auditor’s Office is doing important work with these audits, and we have been doing everything we can to be responsive to them. This includes setting up new escalation processes so auditors can get what they need as quickly as possible and maintaining fully open lines of communication. At the same time, our agency is navigating several complexities. For example, we are supporting multiple audits simultaneously, including federal audits being conducted on every state, all in the midst of a crisis with some of the highest unemployment in Washington’s history. In addition, many of the same staff who need to respond to the audits are also critical to the delivery of benefits, which are a lifeline to our customers.
“We recognize deeply that the success of these audits directly benefits Washingtonians because the knowledge gained will help us meet our top priority – getting benefits to Washingtonians who are eligible for them, and greatly need them, during this crisis.”
https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/statement-from-commissioner-suzi-levine-regarding-ongoing-state-audits
MEETING RESCHEDULED: RECREATION PLANNING FOR THREE SOUTHEASTERN STATE PARKS
https://parks.state.wa.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=662
What happens when the eviction moratorium expires?--THE OLYMPIAN
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article247380835.html#storylink=mainstage_card7
Report: Washington prisons officials botched response to COVID-19 outbreak at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center---Seattle Times
IN OTHER HEADLINE NEWS:
World News headlines
UN chief calls for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities
Achieving a world where all people have equal access to opportunities is a goal worth fighting for, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in a speech calling for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, including in COVID-19 response and recovery. ---UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078802
UN refugee agency appeals for $147 million to support thousands of Ethiopians fleeing to Sudan.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has launched an appeal for $147 million to support as many as 100,000 people fleeing Ethiopia’s Tigray region into neighboring Sudan, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Monday.--UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078822
COVID-19 threatens global progress against malaria, warns UN health agency.
Gaps in life-saving interventions are undermining efforts to curb malaria, amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic could set back the fight against the disease even further, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has said. UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078752
Consign chemical weapons to history, UN chief urges, honoring victims.
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for “renewed determination” to eliminate chemical weapons from the world. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078762
NATIONAL & Business headlines
First Lady Melania Trump Unveils the 2020 White House Christmas Décor--WH
Myths Debunked: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2)--USDA
Treasury Sanctions CEIEC for Supporting the Illegitimate Maduro Regime’s Efforts to Undermine Venezuelan Democracy
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1194
Federal Reserve Board releases results of survey of senior financial officers at banks about their strategies and practices for managing reserve balances
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20201130a.htm
Continued coverage of the election fraud case:
Team Trump Demands Signature Audit as Dominion Server Crash Delays Georgia Recount--PJ MEDIA
Trump Says He'll Leave If...
The president acknowledged the authority of the Electoral College while vowing to continue his legal fight against voter fraud.--Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/articles/75237-trump-says-hell-leave-if-dot-dot-dot-2020-11-30
Mr. President: Appoint a Special Prosecutor to Investigate ElectionGate--American Spectator
https://spectator.org/mr-president-appoint-a-special-prosecutor-to-investigate-election-gate/
Georgia Probing Liberal Voter-Registration Groups Ahead of Critical Senate Races--NEWS MAX
https://www.newsmax.com/headline/georgia-election-probe-senate/2020/11/30/id/999281/
TODAY'S VIDEO
Arizona State Legislature Holds Public Hearing on Election Fraud (Cont)
CONTINUED: Arizona State Legislature Holds Public Hearing on Election Fraud
https://www.facebook.com/rightsidebroadcasting/videos/404052304272307
2 Peter 3:10-11 (New King James Version)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
