State officials will release a COVID-19 alert phone application in September to help stop the spread of the virus. “This app uses Bluetooth technology to let a person know that they have been exposed to COVID-19 without compromising their identity or their location,” said state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.

Levine said people lead busy lives, and it can be hard to track who they have been around. She said this app will be a complementary service to the state's current virus tracking efforts.

“This innovative solution doesn't replace our case investigators and our over 1,200 contact tracers,” Levine said. “It actually enhanced their efforts.”

Levine also reviewed the state's numbers Tuesday.

The state's lack of deaths Monday didn't carry into Tuesday as it added 31 to its statewide death toll, according to Tuesday's report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state also added 735 new confirmed cases to its overall pandemic total.

The report said since the beginning of the pandemic, 670 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of six cases since Monday's report. The county's death toll remains at 17.

As both Pennsylvania and Butler County's COVID-19 numbers have fluctuated in recent weeks, Levine said the app would not be used — and lacks the capability — to enforce quarantines, although she said the state has a legal right to enforce quarantines.

One Butler resident said he planned to use the app, although he understood possible opposition to it.

Ajay Pollarine, of Butler, said he does not like the idea of government apps that allow the tracking of citizens, but after researching the app, he found that it did not use geolocating. He also said he knows that will not be enough for some people. “I understand there's going to be skepticism about it,” Pollarine said. “Right now, we live in an era where people buy your data on a regular basis.”

He said the benefits of being notified when a person has been exposed to COVID-19 is a good step for public health. He said he hopes it doesn't cause more fear.

“Will I use it? Yes,” Pollarine said. “I believe that it's in our best interest to consider using it.”

Levine said the app's success hinges on participation — it will only work if people download the app and use the Bluetooth function on their device, if possible.

“The more people have the app, the more effective it will be,” she said.