- BBC NEWS - Sep 11, 2020 -
More than 600,000 people have downloaded Scotland's new contact tracing app since it went live.
It became available to download free on to a smart phone from Apple's App Store or Google Play on Thursday.
The Protect Scotland app lets people know if they have been in close contact with someone who later tests positive.
The Scottish government has said the software will support the Test and Protect system and is "another tool in the fight against Covid-19".
Up until now, contact tracing has been done manually using a method followed for years to help control the spread of infectious diseases.
How does Scotland's new contact tracing app work?
How to download Scotland's contact tracing app
Coronavirus in Scotland: Where are the latest cases?
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged as many people as possible to get involved in the new tracing scheme.
Speaking in the Holyrood chamber on Thursday afternoon, she said: "The more people that sign up the better. Everybody who signs up is making a contribution."
She told MSPs that the number of people who had downloaded the app had stood at 150,000 before she left her office to speak in parliament.
During First Minister's Questions, she said the number had climbed to 200,000 since she had taken to her feet, which she described as "very positive". By 12:15 on Friday, that had risen above 600,000.
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