A coronavirus contact tracing app will be ready for Germans to download and use on their smartphones in three to four weeks, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday.

German federal and state government leaders said on Wednesday they would support voluntary use of a contact tracing app, when available, so people can quickly learn when they have had been exposed to an infected person.

Developers are working hard on an app to make sure data protection standards are "as perfect as possible", Spahn told broadcaster ARD.

"For it to be really good, it needs more like three to four weeks rather than two weeks," Spahn said.

Germany has the fifth highest COVID-19 caseload behind the United States, Spain, Italy and France at nearly 134,000 but has kept fatalities down to a relatively low 3,868 thanks to early and extensive testing.

The German authorities have, however, been more cautious than some Asian countries in using digital technology to fight the coronavirus, restrained by Europe's strict data privacy laws and mindful of public scepticism towards any surveillance reminiscent of Nazi- or communist-era rule.

First Published:Apr 17, 2020 1:09 PM IST