Coronavirus: almost 2 million Australians download contact tracing app as states ease restrictions

Australian authorities are under growing pressure to ease restrictions on travel and public gatherings imposed to halt the spread of the virus, but which have devastated the economy

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said many of the restrictions, which include a ban on travel to Australia by non-residents, will last until at least September

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A person holds up a phone displaying the Australian government's new voluntary coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe, which was released as the nation seeks to contain the spread of the deadly pandemic. Photo: EPA

Published: 11:33am, 27 Apr 2020Updated: 4:46pm, 27 Apr 2020

Nearly 2 million Australians rushed to download a new smartphone app designed to make coronavirus contact tracing easier, the government said on Monday, overlooking privacy concerns in the hope of speeding up the end of social distancing lockdowns.

Health Minister Greg Hunt hailed take-up since the app was released Sunday evening as “extraordinary”, saying 1.9 million people had downloaded the programme in less than 24 hours.

The nation of 25 million people has uncovered just over 6,700 instances of coronavirus, with the rate of new cases falling to 10-20 per day despite widespread testing.

Like governments around the world, Australian authorities are under growing pressure to ease restrictions on travel and public gatherings imposed to halt the spread of the virus, but which have devastated the economy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said many of the restrictions, which include a ban on travel to Australia by non-residents, will last until at least September.

But he has said some easing could begin sooner if authorities can expand testing for the virus and improve tracing to catch new outbreaks quickly.