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06:19
The advent of big data and mobile phones is giving countries an opportunity to fight the coronavirus pandemic by "contact tracing."
Nations are collaborating with tech companies to design mobile phone apps which, by using location data or bluetooth, would inform governments and individuals if they have come into contact with someone known to be infected or suspected of being infected with COVID-19.
Contact tracing has already been successful in China and South Korea. European countries are also expected to use the technology, although privacy fears have led Germany to adopt a decentralized approach.
Successful contact tracing can lead to the easing of social distancing restrictions, which have shuttered economies worldwide.
Cover image: A medical worker checks her mobile phone in the hospital for coronavirus patients. /AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
