The last week of March marked the biggest leap in diagnosed Covid-19 cases in Sri Lanka, as a Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) report showed that the number of infected persons had risen by around 40. As of Friday (3), the number of confirmed cases surpassed 150 and the fourth death was reported. The novel coronavirus has caused widescale panic across the nation, leading the Government to impose an indefinite nationwide curfew in order to prevent further spread of the virus. However, the Government faces a big challenge in its attempt to achieve this goal as several locals who have contracted the virus had hidden their symptoms or travel history to avoid being placed under quarantine. One such case was of a Covid-19 patient who admitted himself to the Ragama Hospital for chest pains while hiding his travel history, which eventually led to the quarantining of the hospital staff and other patients in the same ward. Due to such instances, there is a desperate need for people who suspect themselves of having contracted coronavirus to get in touch with the relevant authorities about Covid-19-related issues, all from the safety of their own home. Taking this into consideration, ManKiwwa, an app that helps the general public solve problems by linking them directly to the relevant authorities, has added a new feature to help Sri Lanka combat the prevailing health crisis. From inoperational street lights to unattended garbage, the app primarily works as a problem solver for the general public and is currently operational in several regions including the Gampaha Municipal Council (MC), Kotte MC, Kuliyapitiya Urban Council (UC), Attanagalla Provincial Council (PC), and Biyagama PC. Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, ManKiwwa Founder/CEO Shohan Kulasuriya stated that the new feature was launched on 30 March in collaboration with the Gampaha District General Hospital and provides the facility for the public to report Covid-19-related issues to the general public. He explained that since the country is under curfew, the app ensures the public does not need to call or visit the authorities to report any issues. “If they are within the respective geographical area in which the service is active, it will automatically reflect on the said authority dashboard along with the issue, information provided, and the location of the reporter,” Kulasuriya explained. This new feature is set to help prevent the public or respective authorities from unknowingly being in physical contact with an infected individual. This would be done by helping individuals who are suspected of having the virus contact doctors remotely and use other apps to have video consultations, thereby helping authorities identify infected citizens not getting the respective treatment and citizens who have come to Sri Lanka and not followed proper quarantine procedures. The system is fully automated and requires zero human involvement. All one has to do is to report via one of the three criteria available on the app. Then, the app automatically geo-fences the area via Google Maps, after which the app sends the information to the closest relevant authorities such as hospitals and municipal/urban councils simultaneously in real time. The reported incident will have the information related to the issue and the location of the reporting person. “Any citizens in the respective areas can use the app to report if they are infected with coronavirus, if they suspect anyone who is infected with coronavirus, or suspect anyone of not following proper quarantine procedures,” he added. The reporter will then receive updates on the status of the problem, allowing two-way communication between the authority and the individual. If the report is about another individual, the reporter is kept anonymous to both the authorities as well as the app developers to ensure complete privacy. However, if a reporter is reporting on themselves of being suspected of having the virus, they are advised to enter their personal details so that doctors can attend to and treat them. Kulasuriya stated that the platform currently hosts several authorities from the Gampaha MC and Kuliyapitiya UC areas, including the hospitals in Gampaha and Kuliyapitiya partnered with the Gampaha MC and Kuliyapitiya UC, respectively. He stated that since its launch last Monday (30 March), there have been no issues reported as yet. However, he has approached local authorities at different levels in an effort to introduce this feature in other parts of the country and is currently awaiting their response. “I feel that having the ability to communicate with the relevant authorities while staying at home is a feature that is valuable at this moment for the citizens of Sri Lanka. This also helps them communicate with these authorities, even if they do not know the proper contact details of the institutions or whom to contact. Hopefully, the service will be present islandwide soon,” he noted. As citizens of Sri Lanka, it is our responsibility to work together in fighting against this pandemic that is slowly but surely spreading throughout the island. Maintaining social distancing, adhering to the islandwide curfew, and constantly washing hands are some measures we have been advised to take to this end, and with ManKiwwa, we can now take our efforts a step further.