SANTA FE, N.M. – With the release of the N.M. Department of Health Exposure Notification System – or contact tracing cell phone app -- this week, the New Mexico Tech community has two great options to protect itself and their loved ones. New Mexico Tech asks our staff, faculty and students to please use both contact tracing apps in  an effort to best protect our community and keep our region as safe as possible. Below is information about both apps. 

NMDOT Exposure Notification System

When activated on a smartphone, the NMDOT Exposure Notification System app alerts individuals when they have been exposed to someone who has verified that they are infected with COVID-19.

“This is a powerful tool in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19. We strongly encourage the public to activate the NM Notify app on your iPhone or Android phone,” said NMDOH Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins. “In combination with vaccination, testing, and continued COVID-safe practices, this app will help us contain COVID-19 and protect New Mexicans.”

The new statewide app serves as a companion to the New Mexico Tech contact tracing app, MinerSafe, which was release earlier in March. MinerSafe only traces movement within the confines of the NMT campus to track potential exposure of students, employees, and visitors to NMT, while the NMDOH app will connect users statewide.

The NMDOH app was designed in a first-of-its-kind partnership between Google and Apple. Once downloaded, the app uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with other phones that have activated the app. Then, if one of the users verifies an infection of COVID-19, all users that have been in contact with the infected person within a 14-day period will receive a notification of possible exposure. The app then directs users on next steps to prevent additional spread of COVID-19.

The NM Notify app is completely safe and anonymous, and fully protects users’ privacy. No personal data is collected through the app. The app is in wide use in many states and around the globe. According to Google and Apple data, every two downloads of the app can prevent one infection. To learn more about the NM Notify Exposure Notification app, go to NMNotify.com.

MinerSafe app 

The MinerSafe app is free and is available now in the Apple App Store (MinerSafe), and it will be available to Android users soon. The app uses geo-fencing to cover the entire university campus, but it does not track users when they are not on campus. Furthermore, the data is heavily protected and will be frequently purged in an ongoing process to ensure the privacy of those in the campus community. MinerSafe has been approved by NMT’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and verified by the Department of Homeland Security.

– NMT –