Coronavirus: Govt using telco apps to spread information

The government today initiated a process to disseminate information about coronavirus and collect health information of mobile phone users from the mobile phone users through popular mobile applications.

A "Corona Info" service platform has been incorporated in the interface of some mobile applications like MyGP, which was made by Grameenphone, and a similar application of Robi and top mobile financial service provider bKash, said Anir Chowdhury, policy advisor of access to information (a2i) programme under the Information Communication Technology (ICT) division of the government.

It will also be incorporated in other apps soon, he said.

"We are trying to disseminate information from different channels and at the same time we are also trying to collect information from the users," said Chowdhury, who is leading the joint initiative run by National Telecom Monitoring Center (NTMC), home and health ministries.

Chowdhury told The Daily Star that they are also working with the mobile operators to find solutions to technical problems amid the coronavirus situation.

Mobile phone users have been calling 333, a short-code initiative of a2i run by a mobile operator and a call centre, to get information regarding the Covid-19 outbreak.

The service has been receiving more than a thousand calls a day. It has also been disseminating information and at the same time receiving information from users.