Amazon's Alexa updated to help respond to users who are concerned they may have novel coronavirus

Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, can now help users who are worried about having been infected with novel coronavirus. According to the company, users can now query any device equipped with Alexa with phrases like'Alexa, what do I do if I think I have coronavirus?' and the assistant will begin to quiz them about their symptoms. The assistant will then provide users with information pulled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to provide sound advice on what to do. Amazon's line of Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo (pictured) can now provide users guidance on what to do if they think they may have novel coronavirus As a part of the update, users can now also ask Alexa to'sing along' while they wash their hands to help them time the task for 20 seconds - the recommended amount of time for proper sanitation. That feature is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, the UK, and the US and mirrors a similar feature rolled out by Google on its home assistants. The feature most closely mirrors one rolled out by Apple this week which updated its own voice assistant, Siri, to help provide users with guidance on coronavirus.