This weekend will see many Americans celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. There will be lots of get-togethers and trips. States are opening up and mask mandates are being lifted by vaccination efforts across the country. This means that people will be able to have more fun this weekend. We've experienced the full force and impact of summer in Seattle, Washington. But now, with the weather back to normal, people are more likely to get out.Although many states have reached the 50% mark for fully or partially vaccinated people, the U.S. still hasn't met its 70% goal as of July 4. Recent data shows that only 54% of Americans have had at least one shot and 43% have been fully vaccinated. Contact tracing apps that are linked to the Exposure Notification system, which Apple and Google launched last year, may still be useful in ensuring a safe weekend. We would like to find out if exposure notifications are still enabled on your phone.Google and Apple developed Exposure Notifications in tandem to make it easy to track COVID-19 exposure. Here's a FAQ about the COVID-19 Exposure Notification System of Apple and Google. The system uses random Bluetooth identifiers in order to notify you if anyone has tested positive for COVID-19.This is expected to prompt users to get tested quickly to make sure they don't expose others. It's an opt in system so it's up the individual to submit their test results to the app for it to work.A study found that the system could have prevented more than half a billion infections in the UK.It's easy to enable it. The system will already be enabled if you have one of the top Android phones. All you need to do is go to Settings > Google > COVID-19 Exposure Notices.Notifications in the United States are dependent on the state health authorities. Therefore, the system requires you to download the contact trace app created by your state. After setting it up, your search will automatically be promoted for your region. Unfortunately, the system is not available in every state and region.Let us know if you have used the system and what your experiences were in the comments. We'd love to know why you didn't use it.
