Exposure Notification Systems to support wearables, Bluetooth SIG says

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group on Tuesday announced that its working to extend the support of Exposure Notification Systems to wearable devices. The Bluetooth standards organisation says its Exposure Notification Working Group is developing a standardised method for adding support for wearable devices while preserving the same privacy and security protections of the ENS. “There are several population groups critical to managing the spread of diseases like COVID-19 with relatively low smartphone penetration, presenting a coverage challenge for smartphone-based Exposure Notification Systems,” Elisa Resconi, Physics professor at the Technical University of Munich, said in a statement. With extended support for wearables like wristbands, an ENS can reach population groups with low smartphone adoption including, young children and older adults.