Colorado adds COVID-19 info to state’s mobile app
The Colorado Office of Information Technology said Friday it’s added new features to myColorado, the state government’s mobile app, reflecting the measures the state has taken in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a press release, OIT said the app was expanded to keep residents connected to government services while most public-facing agency offices are closed. Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday issued a stay-at-home order, shuttering all non-essential businesses across Colorado, which has reported 1,432 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths.
“The new features in the myColorado mobile app support the practice of social distancing by providing easy access to state services from a smartphone, which is critical as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic together,” Colorado Chief Information Officer Theresa Szczurek said in the press release.
The myColorado app, which was originally designed to offer services provided by the state Department of Motor Vehicles — including a digital ID function — will now also present the state’s latest advisories on its pandemic response, new DMV services and a job-search function for residents who have become unemployed due the economic slowdown. The new DMV functions include temporary driver’s license renewals for people 65 and older, as well as refinements to the renewal processes for vehicle registration and licenses for all other drivers.
Other states and local governments are also nudging their residents toward digital services in hopes of encouraging social distancing, including Louisiana, which is waiving the usual fees to use its digital driver’s license app, and Hawaii, which has ramped up public relations efforts behind the 100-plus digital services the state offers online.
