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Governments and citizens are using apps in an attempt to learn more about the coronavirus outbreak and prevent it spreading further.
The rush to access new information on
coronavirus
shows little sign of slowing. Confirmed infections of **COVID-19
** now number more than 91,000 people globally, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths.
The majority of these deaths have occurred in China, which has responded to the outbreak by requiring people to download smartphone software called the Alipay Health Code.
Coronavirus: The infection numbers in real-time
Designed by the Chinese technology giant Alipay, the health-rating app automates decisions on whether individuals should quarantine themselves or be allowed to enter public spaces through colour-coded QR codes that are scanned at special checkpoints.
A report in the New York Times says the app also "appears to share information with the police, setting a template for new forms of automated social control that could persist long after the epidemic subsides".
Across the world other mobile apps are offering access to various government figures on infections, but there are few checks on the data.
The government of Brazil has released its own coronavirus app to raise awareness about COVID-19 and to provide information on symptoms, prevention, and what to do in the case of infection.
Apps tracking the virus in South Korea are surging to the top of the Android app store. Speaking to CNN, one of the developers of an app called Corona 100m, said that it was receiving 20,000 downloads every hour.
Corona 100m uses South Korean government data to show where patients have been and identifies them with their nationality, gender and age. It also shows users how close they are to those patients.
Image:People in Yunnan present their phones at special checkpoints
As part of the
government's plans in the UK
, police could be reduced to just dealing with very serious crimes and maintaining public order, while the NHS could be closed to all but critical care.
There have been 39 cases of coronavirus in the UK.
Supermarkets are
drawing up plans
to cope with potential panic buying caused by the coronavirus outbreak, with one already warning its customers to order early due to "exceptionally high demand".
Online food retailer Ocado is asking for orders to be placed further in advance than normal and for weekend delivery bookings to be avoided as "more people than usual seem to be placing particularly large orders".
Virus Outbreak: Global Emergency - Watch a special Sky News programme on coronavirus at 6pm weekdays.
