Menu
Fri, 4 October 2024

Newsletter sign-up

Subscribe now
The House Live All
With such an enormous impact now and into the future, we can’t afford to ignore dementia Partner content
Health
Where is the plan to support today’s smokers to quit cigarettes for good? Partner content
By Duncan Cunningham, Director External Affairs UK & Ireland, Philip Morris Limited
Health
Bridging the gap: how care closer to home and different delivery methods of treatments can tackle health inequalities Partner content
By Roche Products Ltd
Health
The prescription for growth: how the UK can become a life sciences leader Partner content
By UCB UK & Ireland
Health
Health
Press releases

Almost 690,000 'Pinged' To Self-Isolate In A Single Week By NHS App

2 min read

A record number of people were told to self-isolate in England and Wales last week after getting pinged by the NHS app.

The latest figures released by the NHS show 689,313 people in England and Wales were pinged by the app at told to self-isolate in the week ending 21 July.

It is the highest weekly figure since the app launched, with the number of pings rising sharply through July.

Under the current system, anyone who is identified through the app as having been in "close contact" with an infected person is instructed to self-isolate at home for ten days. It is not a legal requirement however, to either use the app, or to self-isolate if requested to via it. 

A computer algorithm is used to determine the "risk" posed to people who have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of someone who has tested positive, including in the two days before they first showed symptoms.

The rise comes after ministers announced a list of key sectors from which workers could be eligible to avoid self-isolation, including those working in medicine, food production and defence, provided they have received both jabs and have a negative test.

But the plans have been criticised for being overly complicated after it was revealed the rules would only apply to some workers, with businesses told to provide the details of individual staff who they wished to be given the exemption.

Health secretary Sajid Javid has already confirmed the self-isolation rules in England will change from 16 August when all fuly vaccined people allowed to avoid the ten day quarantine if pinged by the app, provided they receive a negative test result.

PoliticsHome Newsletters

PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe

Read the most recent article written by John Johnston - MP Warns That Online Hate Could Lead To More Real World Attacks On Parliamentarians

Categories

Coronavirus Health
Partner content
Connecting Communities

Connecting Communities is an initiative aimed at empowering and strengthening community ties across the UK. Launched in partnership with The National Lottery, it aims to promote dialogue and support Parliamentarians working to nurture a more connected society.

Find out more