Centre signals shift in stance: Aarogya Setu app no more mandatory

Under fire for making the downloading and usage of Aarogya Setu app mandatory in both public and private workplaces, as well as across containment zones, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday signalled a backwards shift and specified that all employers “should on best effort basis” ensure that the contact tracing app is downloaded by all employees who have “compatible mobile phones”. The new carefully worded MHA guideline differs markedly from what the MHA had stipulated in its previous guidelines issued on May 1, which had made the use of Aarogya Setu app mandatory for all employees, whether in a public or private workplace, and entrusted “the head of the respective organisations” to ensure 100 per cent coverage of this this app among staff.