NHS Test and Trace

A major element required to relax restrictions safely is the NHS Test and Trace service launched at the end of May 2020.

Anyone who develops symptoms of Covid-19 can be quickly tested to find out if they have the virus. The service includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents. It also helps trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 and, if necessary, notifies them that they must self-isolate at home.

The NHS COVID-19 app, available for download on the NHS website, also alerts app users if they have been in close contact with another app user who tests positive for Covid and instructs them to self-isolate.

The rules for self-isolation have changed a number of times. The current rules can be found on gov.uk. Unions have raised major concerns about the Westminster government’s test and trace system, which it has outsourced to private companies in England. The Scotland and Wales governments have kept their programmes in house.