A New York airport test pilots blockchain-based coronavirus cleanliness app

With an eye towards the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, Albany Airport has begun experimenting with the "Wellness Trace App" to track the cleanliness of surfaces and objects inside the airport.

The app, developed by General Electric Co. (GE) in partnership with TE-FOOD and Eurofins, aims to provide a safe travel experience during and after the coronavirus pandemic. It is built using the Microsoft Azure enterprise blockchain.

The app aims to provide travelers with information about the cleanliness of surfaces prior to travelers touching them in real-time. Travelers will be able to gather this information by scanning QR code stickers scattered in and around the airport using their phones.

The application also provides travelers the possibility to express their personal observations about the cleanliness of a particular surface.

According to Albany Airport, the experiment will last for three months, as airport employees will use the app to track cleaning protocols for major areas and objects inside and around the airport. More than 45 QR barcode stickers have been placed in regions and on objects around the airport.

CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority, Philip Calderone, said, "The use of GE’s cutting-edge Wellness Trace App is a major first step in our joint efforts to integrate new digital solutions to create safer travel in a post-pandemic world."

Other governments around the world have also turned to blockchain tech to help in combating the virus.

In Singapore, a city-state that has been largely successful in containing the outbreak, the Government-owned investment firm SGInnovate and Singaporean startup Accredify have jointly developed a new blockchain-powered digital health passport.

Additionally, the Singaporean firm Perlin has developed a blockchain-based mobile app called “ICC AOKpass”, which allows users to verify their COVID-19 status instantly.