Govt highlights advantage of Aarogya Setu, but stops short of making it compulsory in new guidelines

NEW DELHI: The government appears to have made Aarogya Setu optional, scaling down its earlier directive that had made it compulsory for several categories of people to download the mobile app which monitors the spread of Covid-19. In fresh guidelines issued Sunday on lockdown 4.0, the government has focused on the advantage of the app saying it enables for early identification of potential risk of infection and thus acts as a shield for individuals and the community.

“With a view to ensuring safety in offices and work places, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones,” it said.

In its May 1 guidelines, the government had said “use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory for all employees, both private and public. It shall be the responsibility of the head of the respective organisation to ensure 100 per cent coverage of the app among the employees”.