New app helps you decide if Covid-19 risk is low in order to visit family, friends this holiday season

EL PASO, Texas -- Despite the constantly growing number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide, and warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are still people who are planning to travel for the Christmas holidays. But the creator of a new app says "if you're going to visit, make it a SafeVisit."

April Armstrong, who led evaluation of the nation’s largest research program on pandemic planning and response for government top officials after the 9/11 terror attacks, for which Dr. Fauci served as a lead advisor, created the app.

The COVIDSafeVisits app makes it easy to make risk-informed decisions
about whether it is safe to visit and how to visit safely. It takes less than
60 seconds to answer quick questions in key risk areas and get a risk score
with specific recommendations for how to visit safely.

Armstrong says the app an spare people from making 3 deadly mistakes. First, not asking specific questions to screen people before a visit. Second, assuming it’s safe to visit with people who say they are being careful or they tested negative. Third, not agreeing in advance on specific COVID-safe behaviors to follow during your visit.

The COVID SafeVisits app gives a household visit risk rating based on seven weighted risk areas - physical proximity, surface contact, symptoms, confirmed or presumed diagnosis, risk of severe illness, degree of community spread, and attitude.

The app is free and can be found at LiveCOVIDSafe.com.