How Governments Worldwide are Using Messaging Apps in Times of COVID-19

Regarding the current corna crisis, many citizens would like to be informed sufficiently and immediately about the status of the measures and their effects. Here is an overview of governments and official institutions that provide information about Covid-19 via messaging apps.

WhatsApp and Co. are the most used communication channels during the corona crisis. While hotlines are often chronically overloaded and remain busy , call centers are rarely home office capable, mails are usually not answered at all and social media doesn’t reach all social classes – messaging apps like WhatsApp are widespread, fast and direct.

The following agencies, authorities and governments already use messaging apps during the current corona crisis

  1. Germany : Federal Ministry of Health uses WhatsApp
  2. State of Bavaria : Notify informs as official messaging app of the Bavarian State
  3. World Health Organization (WHO) consults via WhatsApp chatbot
  4. Great Britain : WhatsApp chatbot of the British Government!
  5. India : consults now via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger
  6. Telangana / India : WhatsApp chatbot powered by MessengerPeople
  7. France: Corona WhatsApp bot against the spread of fake news
  8. Brazil: Ministry of Health launches WhatsApp Chatbot

1 ) Federal Ministry of Health uses WhatsApp

The German Federal Ministry of Health uses a simple WhatsApp bot on key facts and figures. Reachable via WhatsApp at +49 1516 2875183

WhatsApp chatbot of the German Federal Ministry of Health

2) Notify – Official messenger service of the State of Bavaria and the Bavarian State Government

The official messenger service of the State of Bavaria and the Bavarian State Government. With this service , you will be kept up to date on current developments regarding the Corona pandemic.

3) World Health Organization (WHO) consults via WhatsApp chatbot

How many are infected by COVIT-19? How can I protect myself from the virus? Since the outbreak of the corona epidemic, requests to the World Health Organization have multiplied a thousand times. Telephone or e-mail support is not possible – now the WHO provides fast and direct information on the most important topics via a WhatsApp chatbot.

WHO WhatsApp chatbot about COVIT-19

4) Great Britain: WhatsApp chatbot of the British Government

The new chatbot, provided by the UK government, allows anyone to subscribe to official advice about the pandemic known as COVID-19 in the hope of reducing the burden on the national health system. Send “hi” to +44 7860 064422 via WhatsApp to receive updates. (Source: Techcrunch )

Corona chatbot via WhatsApp of the government in Great Britain

5) The Indian Government advises via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger

India is also introducing a WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger chatbot to inform about the corona virus! Especially WhastApp is very widespread in India and is used much more than the classic phone or other media. That is why it was so important to offer a service via WhatsApp there at an early stage.

Facebook Messenger Corona chatbot of the Indian government

Facebook Messenger Corona chatbot of the Indian government

6) Telangana Government now informs via WhatsApp

The Government of Telangana has established a dedicated Coronavirus helpline for citizens to receive accurate information on the pandemic. We are doing everything we can to keep our citizens safe in these challenging times and urge everyone to stay indoors and ensure they rely only on verified channels of information. – said Sri KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries and MAUD.

The chatbot starts with a simple preset message and opens an extensive menu, informing about the current status on Covid-19, lockdown measures by the Telangana State, more details about health facilities and isolation centres, typical coronavirus symtomps and a lot more.

Simply send “Hi” or “Hello” or “COVID” to +91-9000658658 in a WhatsApp message to get started, or they can simply click the link https://wa.me/919000658658?text=Hi to initiate the conversation.

Available in English and Telugu

Read more about this successful project in our article “Covid-19: Telangana Government now informs via WhatsApp”

7) France also informs via WhatsApp Bot

The French government also relies on a WhatsApp chatbot. The fight against fake news is to be at the centre of this. This also makes sense, because WhatsApp is the channel most used for communication during the Corona crisis. You can address bot with this number: +33755531212

8) The Brazilian Ministry of Health now also informs via WhatsApp Chatbot

In order to keep the population and medical staff transparently and clearly informed about the corona virus, the Brazilian Ministry of Health also launched an exclusive chatbot on WhatsApp. There, users are informed comprehensively, receive instructions and recommendations, e.g. how to deal with suspected cases, or about different forms of contamination, possible preventive measures or remedies in the fight against fake news and rumors about the virus. The bot can be reached via +55 61 9938-0031

WhatsApp chatbot of the Brazilian Ministry of Health informs about corona

Deploy WhatsApp in customer & crisis communications quickly, securely and effectively

With our software solution, the “ Messenger Communication Platform “, you can…

  • 👨‍⚖️ … use WhatsApp and other messaging apps fully GDPR compliant for your customer service
  • 🚀… start immediately and without any IT efforts necessary – even out of home office!
  • 💻… edit and reply to all messages centrally – no matter from which messaging app they were sent
  • ↔ … assign tickets manually or automatically via autorouting to your colleagues in charge
  • 🤖 … easily set up automations with the help of our chatbot builder
  • 💰 … use the No. 1 communication channel effectively and at a fair pricing and without a set-up fee for maximum personal digital consulting!

Get a first impression of our product here:

Tip : Arrange a live demo for the Messenger Communication Platform now. We will guide you through the product via a web demo and give you expert tips and answers to all your individual questions.

More questions? Just text us on WhatsApp!

+49 89 416 173 170

Covid-19: State government of Saarland now also provides information automatically via messaging app Corona Special, Press Releases
Covid-19: World Health Organization (WHO) consults via WhatsApp chatbot Chatbots, Corona Special, Messenger Communication