Apple enhanced its Siri voice assistant Saturday with a step-by-step query instructing users on determining if they have been exposed to COVID-19, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
The instructions are based on specific instructions from the U.S. Public Health Service, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Siri adds COVID-19 advice
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac
An Apple spokesperson confirmed the details of the new feature to CNBC, but would not share additional details. Apple did not immediately respond Saturday to requests for comment from Cult of Mac for this story.
The voice assistant begins by asking if a user has various symptoms. Depending on the answers, Siri instructs users to either “stay vigilant” for symptoms or “stay home, and separate yourself from others” and consult a medical professional or other telehealth apps.
The Siri enhancement comes as Apple has aggressively begun a number of promotions to instruct the public about the virus pandemic that has now claimed the lives of more than 13,00 people worldwide and 336 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.
On Friday, Apple began running U.S. federal government public service announcements across multiple Apple service platforms. It also began Friday to put various podcasts keeping the public informed on its podcast apps.
