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Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google on Monday said they would ban the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system the two are building to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Reuters reports.
Apple and Google, whose operating systems power 99% of smart phones, said last month they would work together to create a system for notifying people who have been near others who have tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
The companies plan to only allow public health authorities to use the technology.
The system uses bluetooth signals from phones to detect encounters and does not use or store GPS location data.
Some California retailers will be allowed to reopen their businesses starting on Friday, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, said Monday.
Related: California eases Covid-19 restrictions, allowing some businesses to reopen
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