Tommy Little gives angry coronavirus app rant on The Project

Tommy Little has gone on a fiery rant on The Project tonight, demanding Aussies download the coronavirus tracing app.

Tommy Little has gone on a fiery rant on The Project tonight as new coronavirus measures are introduced.

The Channel 10 program aired a segment as the Australian Government officially launched the coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe, this afternoon, which aims to contact people who have been in touch with someone carrying the disease.

Given the app is not mandatory, and there is a level of concern from members of the public about privacy, Little has urged Aussies to get behind it “for us to live our normal lives quicker”.

“I am the person that if ever someone tells me to do something, I say no, but I'm so sick of talking about this virus,” the comedian began.

“I'm sick of people not being able to leave their homes, and if the one thing you do, if you don't do anything else in your day today, just download this app.

“It will make it so much easier for us to live our normal lives quicker.

“I'm sick of not playing sport, sick of not watching sport, just – download the freaking app, people.”

MORE: Follow all our coronavirus coverage

MORE: All your virus app questions answered

The panel have all reached an agreement that they're going to download the Coronavirus tracking app to help us all get through this as quickly and effectively as possible.

If you would like to download it, get it here: https://t.co/DyV7lq64jH pic.twitter.com/qR6B83WdYR

— The Project (@theprojecttv) April 26, 2020

Host Peter van Onselen said he was initially dubious about downloading the app, which saw him have an off-air disagreement with his The Sunday Project co-host, Lisa Wilkinson.

“I'm glad Tommy you said that. Seriously, Lisa, you convinced me. You could call me belligerent. I'm doing it to be stubborn. I thought about it,” PVO said.

“We had a strong conversation,” Wilkinson replied.

The COVIDSafe app uses a phone’s Bluetooth wireless signal to store information about people’s interactions, and can be accessed by health officials if a person contracts coronavirus.

Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the app would speed up a “laborious process” for health authorities tracking down users who have been within 1.5 metres of someone who has the virus.

“What this will do is give a list of the mobile phone numbers of those people who have been in contact within that distance for 15 minutes or more,” he said.

“That could lead to someone being contacted a day or two earlier than they otherwise may have been.” Australia has recorded just over 6,700 cases of COVID-19 and 83 deaths from the virus.

The Australian Government's new voluntary coronavirus tracing app 'COVIDSafe'. Picture: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

The rise in infections has slowed considerably in recent weeks, with just 16 new cases recorded across the country Sunday.

Health officials say widespread take-up of the app would help them to ease tough restrictions on movement and gatherings. Just under half of Australia’s population would need to download the program for it to be an effective tool.

The app is free and sign-up is voluntary, despite initial suggestions it could be made mandatory.

In an effort to alleviate privacy concerns, users can provide a fake name and police cannot access the data to investigate crimes, while all information is automatically deleted after 21 days.

“What we have done is strip back the function so it has one job and one job alone and that is that if you are positive, to be able to make that available only to the state public health authorities, with nobody else having access,” health minister Greg Hunt said.

-with Wires