(Bloomberg) --
Austria won't make a coronavirus app mandatory as the country considers the role of software to trace contact between people in the next phase of efforts to contain the pandemic.
With new infections consistently below 100 a day in Austria, finding and isolating emerging virus hot spots quickly was the main focus of the government's “Containment 2.0” strategy, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said on Tuesday.
To avoid blanket lockdown restrictions, authorities are seeking to track people's interactions to identify the paths of contagion and prevent broader outbreaks. A smartphone app such as one created by the government-sponsored Austrian Red Cross could help, but it will be voluntary, the minister added.
“This manual management will be our focus,” Anschober told journalists in Vienna. “A digital contact management can be a good complement.”
Read More: Europe Leans to ‘Decentral' System for Covid-19 Apps
After first steps to ease curbs on public life had no negative impact on new infections, the government will closely monitor data over the coming days to evaluate a second round, which started May 2, Anschober said. He warned of the risk of a second wave if authorities took the eye off the ball, pointing to a recent outbre
ak in Singapore.
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