Residents in Virginia are the first people able to use an app to trace COVID-19 exposure. The state-sponsored app uses information from both Google and Apple. It uses Bluetooth technology to check the proximity to known carriers. No word on how many people have downloaded and use the app.
Every state would have to create and support their own app. Even then, for contact tracing to become nation-wide, the apps would have to communicate with each other. This might prove difficult since the Bluetooth signals are anonymized. Although, if infection data is shared, there would be a straightforward way to track.
There is potential to turn this into a dystopian story. Upping the stakes, what if every human had a chip implanted in them that could transmit Bluetooth data, instead of relying on their phones? If the state wanted to find someone, for whatever reason, it wouldn't take long. This is similar to cell phone usage in "The Dark Knight," when they used the network to find Joker.
The main character would be someone falsely accused of committing a crime. The authorities scramble to find them, and the hero has to limit human contact so they can't be traced. Similar to "Shooter," when Bob Lee Swagger lived on the mountain top. In the story, the officials finally track down the hero, and he has to escape. Think "Rambo First Blood, part 1."
Throughout the story, the main character tries to prove his innocence, ultimately succeeding. The authorities believe him, reverse the charges, and he turns himself in. Then, they pin charges on him for assaulting the officers, and he goes to jail.
The second book would be the authorities asking him to undergo missions for them. They remove the standard chip and insert one only they can trace. He completes the task, only to be detained once more. The third book would be his escape from the state and enjoying the rest of an untraced life.
