Northern Ireland’s health minister has urged the adoption of a single Covid-19 contact-tracing app across the UK and Ireland.
Robin Swann said if it was not possible to have the same app, then it was important to ensure the two systems were compatible, to avoid issues around cross-border movement.
The UK and Ireland are already set to differ in regard to how their apps will analyse contact data.
The UK app, which is currently being trialled on the Isle of Wight, uses a “centralised” system, with all data sent to a central server for analysis.
Privacy experts have raised concerns about this method.
Northern Ireland began a contact tracing pilot at the end of April in a number of care homes.
A wide range of groups are involved in the pilot scheme, including members from the university sector, health and social care trusts and environmental health.
Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride previously said he estimated 300 to 600 staff would be employed as contact tracers.
These may include environmental health officers plus nursing and medical students who could be retrained.
The Irish Republic’s app will see data matching take place on an individual’s device, without the need to send it to an external server.
Mr Swann said he discussed the issue with fellow UK health ministers on Tuesday.
