A Covid-19 contact tracing app launched on Friday by the government was downloaded more than 45,000 times, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne posted on Facebook on Sunday.

The app - COVID Alert Malta - is available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play. It will let users know if they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for the Coronavirus.

The app works through proximity tracing. After installing the app on your phone, the app will alert you if you have been in close proximity to people who later turn out to be positive. The app records certain data, like the time spent near other people using the app, and the distance between the persons. Certain data codes are sent to the health authorities.

The government had said that the app does not collect personal data including places visited. If the app detects that you have been in close proximity to someone who tests positive, it will send you an alert and urge you to call the 111 helpline. This happens if you spend more than 15 mins within a two-metre distance of the infected person.

The app does not collect any personal data, including the places visited. It respects the privacy of the users, journalists were told. The use of the application is completely anonymous.