Switzerland begins testing of contact-tracing app

The Swiss ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne have announced they have begun the  pilot testing of the  contact-tracing app SwissCovid. Switzerland has become one of the first countries to use the application programming interface (API) developed by Apple and Google. The app has been made available to employees at ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, the Swiss Army, and some hospitals and cantonal administrations. The pilot phase is expected to last a few weeks until the Swiss parliament reaches its decision on the revision of the law on epidemics. The app operates in a decentralised manner, meaning that data is stored on each phone. If a user tests positive for the Coronavirus, they can voluntarily share the data of the recorded contacts.