Updated 22 May 2020 at 11:33 IST
UK Health Secretary says COVID-19 tracking system will be in place by June 1
The UK Health Secretary on May 21 reportedly said that he was confident that the coronavirus track and trace system would be operating by June 1.
The United Kingdom Health Secretary Matt Hancock on May 21 reportedly said that he was confident that the coronavirus track and trace system would be operating by June 1 and will be allowing lockdown rules to be eased without risking a spike in infections. Britain is currently testing a COVID-19 smartphone app which involves tracing and tracking via the Bluetooth based application. While the app is still being tested on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, Hancock reportedly said that the app is working alongside a conventional tracing system.
The application helps people, who have developed COVID-19 symptoms, to register. It uses the ‘proximity information’ and Bluetooth signal t register people’s interactions in a bid to trace any contacts that the symptomatic person may have been involved in. Earlier this month, Hancock also said that the new system is introduced to allow the authorities to take a more ‘targeted approach’ to fight the deadly virus.
According to an international media report, several health workers have warned that any failure in Britain’s ability to track and trace people with the novel coronavirus and their contacts would result in a second deadly wave. Meanwhile, James Bronkenshire, the junior interior minister in charge of security, also reportedly said that there were technical issues with the app. However, Hancock said the app is working in the Isle of Wight and the authorities just want to make sure that the whole system lands well and supports the ability safely to make changes to social distancing rules.
More than 252,000 coronavirus cases in UK
While Britain’s progress has been criticised and opposition lawmakers reportedly said that an earlier promise of a nationwide roll-out of an NHS-developed smartphone app had slipped for the middle of this month, the government recruited 24,000 trackers to manually trace the contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 using telephone and email.
Meanwhile, the UK currently has more than 252,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 36,124 lives in the country. Despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, UK PM Boris Johnson expressed optimism and said that the rate at which the virus is spreading among people was below one which is the outcome of the general public’s adherence to the social distancing measures. Earlier this week, Johnson also announced a ‘conditional plan’ to reopen the country after months of lockdown.
(Image: AP)
Published By : Bhavya Sukheja
Published On: 22 May 2020 at 11:32 IST