Government launches NHS track and trace in England

Government launches NHS track and trace in England

People who come into close contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be told to self-isolate for 14 days as the Government launches its tracing system amid mounting Tory anger over Dominic Cummings' alleged lockdown breaches.

People who come into close contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be told to self-isolate for 14 days as the Government launches its tracing system amid mounting Tory anger over Dominic Cummings' alleged lockdown breaches.

NHS Test and Trace - seen as key to easing the restrictions - will be rolled out across England on Thursday with the help of 25,000 contact tracers, while an accompanying app is still delayed by several weeks.

It comes amid a growing revolt within the Conservative Party over the Prime Minister's chief adviser's controversial trip to Durham - with dozens of backbench Tories criticising his actions, and at least 38 calling for him to quit or be sacked.

And senior minister Penny Mordaunt admitted there were "inconsistencies" in Mr Cummings' account - saying "there is no doubt he took risks".

Boris Johnson continued to stand by his aide and insisted it was time to "move on" when he faced intense questioning over the issue in an appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee of senior MPs on Wednesday.

However, former Home Secretary Amber Rudd added her name to the list of prominent Tory figures saying Mr Cummings should quit.

"Yes I think he should quit, because he's making things worse," Ms Rudd said on ITV's Peston programme.

Ms Rudd said that through various Government campaigns Mr Johnson had seen Mr Cummings as a "talisman, a lucky charm, and that he needs him going forward."

"Dominic has been a winner for him on these campaigns but he's not instrumental to good government," she said.

"And my problem at the moment is that Dominic is being negative for good government. He's a public servant, it should be about service, and at the moment he is not helping this country."

Also on Wednesday, Mr Johnson announced the launch of the contact tracing programme, which will see people with coronavirus having their contacts traced in a bid to cut off routes of transmission for the virus and control local flare-ups.

Under the plans, anyone with coronavirus symptoms will immediately self-isolate and book a test, preferably at a testing centre or, if necessary, for delivery to their home. Their household should start a 14-day isolation period too.

If the test proves negative, everyone comes out of isolation.

But if the test is positive, NHS contact tracers or local public health teams will call, email or send a text asking them to share details of the people they have been in close contact with and places they have visited.

The team then emails or texts those close contacts, telling them they must stay home for 14 days even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.

Amid reports by Sky News that some contact tracers do not have their basic systems up and running yet, the Department of Health insisted that the "vast majority of our 25,000 staff have completed their training".

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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