Thank you for contacting me about contact tracking and tracing measures for coronavirus.
Mass testing and contact tracing are not, by themselves, solutions, but the Government believes that they may allow some social restrictions to be relaxed faster by working to supress transition more precisely. The UK now has capacity to carry out over 340,000 tests per day.
The COVID-19 Test and Trace Taskforce ensures that, when someone develops COVID-19-like symptoms, they can rapidly have a test to find out if they have the virus, and people who they’ve had recent close contact with can be alerted and provided with advice. Part of the tracing effort includes the voluntary NHS contact tracing app; the Government says that this will help increase the speed and effectiveness of the tracing effort. Around 18,000 additional contact tracers are being deployed to support the programme, around 6,000 of whom will be supporting local test and trace teams.
The Prime Minister has stressed that it is absolutely crucial to continue working to improve the NHS Test and Trace system, speeding up turnaround times and growing capacity. Further, he goes on to say that it is important that a higher percentage of close contacts of those with a positive test are contacted, and as quickly as possible, to enable them to self-isolate and to restrict the spread.
I understand that some members of SAGE have expressed concern regarding NHS Test and Trace, including claiming that it is having only a marginal impact on tackling the virus. The fact is that testing capacity has increased by 25 percent since mid-August alone. I know that NHS Test and Trace has now reached more than half a million people while the Covid-19 app has already been downloaded more than fourteen million times. Engagement with isolation guidelines is now also enforceable by law with fines for noncompliance. Nevertheless, these concerns should be taken seriously and I will monitor the situation closely in Parliament.
The App: You can download the app, if you have a smartphone, and scan NHS Test and Trace QR codes which will be displayed in businesses and venues across the country. Some concerns have been expressed about accessing the app on much older versions of smartphones. However, I understand it is not uncommon for apps to be made compatible with the latest available software to minimise the risk of glitches, which is particularly important in this case. Handsets must have Android 6.0, which was released in 2015, or iOS 13.5, which was released in May 2020, as well as Bluetooth 4.0, which was launched in 2010.]
PHE and Excel: Ministers have explained that the problem with reporting testing results emerged in a PHE legacy system. It had already been decided in July to replace the system and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care commissioned a new data system to replace the legacy one. Contracts were awarded in August, and the work on the upgrade is already under way.
Local Contact Tracing: I absolutely agree that it is vital data is shared with local authorities as quickly as possible, particularly where a locality is experiencing a higher number of cases and additional local lockdown measures may be required. I understand that there have been some concerns about data sharing protocols, and I understand that Baroness Dido Harding, who is heading up the Government's test and trace programme as part of her work heading up the newly established National Institute for Health Protection, is working with local authorities and Public Health England to ensure that outbreak management teams have access to the information that they require. The Department for Health and Social Care has outlined that granular data is being made available to specialist teams through local dashboards, and that this service has been expanded to provide more data for local areas.
Lack of work for contact tracers: the Government is concerned that it is critically important that all resources available are being used to their fullest extent. So far, NHS Test and Trace has contacted more than half a million people to ensure that they self isolate, helping to reduce transmission.
Automatic Download: It is absolutely not true that the Coronavirus app has automatically been downloaded to phones. I understand that Android and Apple systems were recently updated to enable technology used in Covid-19 apps across the globe, which is called an Exposure Notification API. However, this feature is turned off by default, with users needing to make an explicit choice to turn it on; even those who choose to download the app, thereby enabling the notification technology, will be able to switch off the Exposure Notification API in their phone settings. I would like to reiterate that people will always have the choice of whether or not to download the app.
My understanding is that at present there are no moves to make downloading an app compulsory.
App Security: I absolutely agree that it is important to protect people's privacy, which is why I am pleased that the Government has been working with Apple and Google to ensure that the security is of the highest standard and is compatible with all devices.
Fraudulent Calls: It is extremely important that members of the public feel safe being contacted by the Track and Trace team. I understand that the team have undergone thorough training with this in mind. A member of the NHS Track and Trace team will never ask for details of card or bank account numbers, ask you to provide or fill in social media log in details, ask you to set up a pin, or ask you to download anything. You should only be asked for the information found in the privacy notice, here:
https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk/help/privacy-notice
If you do not feel comfortable talking on the phone, or suspect the call to be a scam, you can ask for an email or a text that will invite you to use the Test and Trace web site instead. From this email, you will only ever be directed to this web address: contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk.
Privacy:
Hospitality businesses, such as pubs, restaurants and cafes, and other venues have a legal responsibility to ask at least one member of every party (of up to 6 or whatever tier restrictions are in place) of customers or visitors to provide their name and contact details if they have not scanned the official NHS QR code, possibly as they do not have the app installed on their phone. Businesses must keep records of visitors and staff for 21 days and provide data to NHS Test and Trace if requested. All of this data is collected adhering to General Data Protection Regulations.
If you would like further information about how data will be gathered and stored, you can read the privacy notice, here:
https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk/help/privacy-notice.
Admission to Venues and the APP: A business cannot and should not refuse entry to a customer if they do not have the app. However, if a customer does not have the app and refuses to provide their name and contact details, venues must take reasonable steps to refuse entry to those who refuse to participate.
Delays in reporting Covid-19 cases - October 2020: On Friday 2nd October, a technical issue was identified in the data load process that transfers positive Covid-19 test results into reporting dashboards. Upon identifying this issue, Public Health England (PHE) undertook a rapid investigation. I appreciate that this is concerning but I have been assured that each one of these cases received their test result as normal and were advised to self-isolate according to the usual timescales. I know that these outstanding cases have been passed over to NHS Test and Trace and that they are working urgently to identify close contacts. PHE have put in place robust measures to prevent this from occurring again.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
October 2020