All the historical data of governments taking "emergency powers" and not letting them go afterwards.

Something, something, Patriot Act

"Never waste a crisis."

I don’t disagree with you. What are some historical instances of this that I can read up on?

The most significant, perhaps, was the aftermath of Reichstag fire [1]. What happened after that, we all know.

[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire

France having declared a state of emergency like 2+ years ago, and not lifting it until COVID-19 made it even less questionable to the public?

Let me rephrase, how much are you willing to bet that this app will be mandatory to be installed after the Covid crisis is over?

(I am Indian and live in India fwiw) How about 10k Rs to be donated to the winner's favorite charity? How about 1 January 2022 as a settlement date? If the app is still mandatory on that date, I win, else you do.

Done!

I am not a gambler, but let's say $5 if you really wish to get money involved. Or a bottle of scotch.