Test, Track and Trace - I don't understand

[ChrisF]

But how many "strangers" are you with for at least 15 minutes at a distance of less than 2 metres? Using that definition I am pretty sure I have been in "close contact" with only 1 person since lockdown began, my having moved to her house to avoid the stress of totally solitary living. I intend to keep it that way for many months!

+1. This was really the reasoning behind my original post. I haven't been in 'close contact' with anyone (except my household partner) since mid-March. I don't intend to for the next few months either. So if I get a 'track & trace' call I know it will be mistaken (or fake). I would imagine that the majority of the populaton is in a similar situation.

[mjr]

Even tests for staff at a high profile hospital are taking four days at the moment. Two days too long, as you say.

But to repeat a question and broaden it: will anyone here quarantine for two weeks based only on an unauthenticated text or call?

[pwa]

Even tests for staff at a high profile hospital are taking four days at the moment. Two days too long, as you say.

But to repeat a question and broaden it: will anyone here quarantine for two weeks based only on an unauthenticated text or call?

I don't know. I suppose I'd want to feel confident the call came from the right source. Would they tell you who you came into contact with, and when, so that you could verify it?

[Paulatic]

Even tests for staff at a high profile hospital are taking four days at the moment. Two days too long, as you say.

But to repeat a question and broaden it: will anyone here quarantine for two weeks based only on an unauthenticated text or call?

I don't know. I suppose I'd want to feel confident the call came from the right source. Would they tell you who you came into contact with, and when, so that you could verify it?

I would assume they can’t tell you who it was. Imagine the repercussions of that info held by the local gossip.
If they told you where then it might be possible you’d know who so I can’t see that happening either.

[Morzedec]

Er - will the Government now pay for me to go out and buy a mobile telephone?

And then send someone along to teach me how to use it?

Farce, upon farce, upon farce: forget the Politics, all the people involved have proved themselves - and continue to so do - to be idiots who are unable to organise or structure anything. Would YOU give any of them a job?

The pub opens next week: I'm off to wait.

[mjr]

But to repeat a question and broaden it: will anyone here quarantine for two weeks based only on an unauthenticated text or call?

I don't know. I suppose I'd want to feel confident the call came from the right source. Would they tell you who you came into contact with, and when, so that you could verify it?

I would assume they can’t tell you who it was. Imagine the repercussions of that info held by the local gossip.
If they told you where then it might be possible you’d know who so I can’t see that happening either.

Yes, that's my understanding too. The government or NHS generally can't go telling you someone else's medical status.

It's still going to be the subject of gossip, though, and people will be putting 2 and 2 together to get 5.

On a more positive note, it seems they've finally listened to the IT security commentators pointing out that caller ID is not secure and https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk/ has been launched which I understand will let you verify the text message, among other things - unlike the three rounds of text messages sent so far from the easy-to-fake "GOVUK".

[Jdsk]

NB date.

Utterly depressing. Should be a minimum of 95% within 36h 7 days a week.

Jonathan

[[XAP]Bob]

With a bit of intelligence we could test the whole country every week... wouldn’t even take more tests than we currently do...

[youtube]D-7olodzsQ4[/youtube]

[francovendee]

The abysmal test and trace figures are way off the 'World Beating' one promised by Johnson.
When will they get something right.
I'm fearful the some cock up will happen when a virus is available. I'm not sure in which way but this shower in government are capable of cocking up anything.

[reohn2]

The abysmal test and trace figures are way off the 'World Beating' one promised by Johnson.
When will they get something right.
I'm fearful the some cock up will happen when a virus is available. I'm not sure in which way but this shower in government are capable of cocking up anything.

Not cocking up anything but cocking up everything!

They're completely out of their depth,and beyond looking after their rich financiers have no idea how to run the country,but we get what we deserve.
If you vote for clowns you get a circus,only no one's laughing but the rich......

[simonineaston]

There's a very unsatisfactory web of connections linking together all sorts of key players in the Test Track & Trace fiasco. Harding, her husband, 'Door' Hancock, Serco, the 1828 group, Randox 'Health' and all the usual suspects who are determined to drive health care towards private - I would say 'enterprise', but the sad truth is that genuine enterprise is missing from these endevours, as these people and organisations seem to make the same mistakes over and over again, whilst enjoying collosal amounts of our hard-earned, in the form of (un-tendered and without penalty clauses - no worries about making a mess of it, then?!) multi-million pound contracts.
Soames, a died-in-the-wool Tory libertarian, ceo of Serco, is said to have been delighted by the arrival of Sars-C2, crowing in a leaked email that the bug would go

a long way in cementing the position of private sector companies in the public sector supply chain

The whole way this crisis has been dealt with is truly sickening - indeed, from the point of view of democracy and accountability, frightening... untold numbers of C19 sufferers let down by the tracking system - possibly to the extent that they might not have been infected had it all actually worked as claimed, millions & millions of tax-payers' money being shovelled into the gaping maw of private ownership and the prospect of wave after wave of infections without any effective tools to deal with them - all seemingly without any accountability.
These people better be careful what they're doing - widespread civil disobedience is just a couple of poor decisions away, in my view.

[mjr]

These people better be careful what they're doing - widespread civil disobedience is just a couple of poor decisions away, in my view.

Ah, but which sort of widespread civil disobedience? Personally, I'm obeying the law, but ignoring the complicated lost-the-plot gov.uk advice and watching the WHO and ECDC updates instead - that could be good disobedience, but if people go stupid and having big parties and so on, then we'll be even further in the brown stuff with no paddles.

Latest messages:

Physical distancing, mask wearing, hand hygiene, coughing safely into your arm, avoiding crowds and meeting people outside where possible and when you have to be inside with others – open windows and ensure good ventilation with non recirculating air.

I know there’s fatigue but the virus has shown that when we let our guard down, it can surge back at breakneck speed and threaten hospitals and health systems.

Countries should continue to implement measures to reduce transmission in the general population, such as advocating physical distancing, including the avoidance of large gatherings, promoting hand and respiratory etiquette, encouraging the appropriate use of face masks, and implementing best practices in infection prevention and control in healthcare and residential settings. Where necessary, these measures can be scaled up and countries may need to close public spaces and introduce stay-at-home recommendations as a last resort. These measures can be adopted at national or sub-national level, based on a comprehensive assessment of the local situation, using a transparent decision-making process that is clearly communicated to the public in a timely manner.

I wish Boris had implemented that last bit about "a transparent decision-making process that is clearly communicated"...

[paddler]

The abysmal test and trace figures are way off the 'World Beating' one promised by Johnson.
When will they get something right.
I'm fearful the some cock up will happen when a virus is available. I'm not sure in which way but this shower in government are capable of cocking up anything.

A virus is already available!

Joking aside, though, I think you are right to be fearful...

Dave

[francovendee]

The abysmal test and trace figures are way off the 'World Beating' one promised by Johnson.
When will they get something right.
I'm fearful the some cock up will happen when a virus is available. I'm not sure in which way but this shower in government are capable of cocking up anything.

A virus is already available!

Joking aside, though, I think you are right to be fearful...

Dave

My brain fart, should have typed vaccine!
At least I'm not in government, I don't know what their excuse is.

[reohn2]

There's a very unsatisfactory web of connections linking together all sorts of key players in the Test Track & Trace fiasco. Harding, her husband, 'Door' Hancock, Serco, the 1828 group, Randox 'Health' and all the usual suspects who are determined to drive health care towards private - I would say 'enterprise', but the sad truth is that genuine enterprise is missing from these endevours, as these people and organisations seem to make the same mistakes over and over again, whilst enjoying collosal amounts of our hard-earned, in the form of (un-tendered and without penalty clauses - no worries about making a mess of it, then?!) multi-million pound contracts.
Soames, a died-in-the-wool Tory libertarian, ceo of Serco, is said to have been delighted by the arrival of Sars-C2, crowing in a leaked email that the bug would go

a long way in cementing the position of private sector companies in the public sector supply chain

The whole way this crisis has been dealt with is truly sickening - indeed, from the point of view of democracy and accountability, frightening... untold numbers of C19 sufferers let down by the tracking system - possibly to the extent that they might not have been infected had it all actually worked as claimed, millions & millions of tax-payers' money being shovelled into the gaping maw of private ownership and the prospect of wave after wave of infections without any effective tools to deal with them - all seemingly without any accountability.

Spot on!
I raised the same issues about PPE suppliers a few months ago on another thread,which led to the usual rightwing suspects claiming there was no problem with it

These people better be careful what they're doing - widespread civil disobedience is just a couple of poor decisions away, in my view.

EDIT:- probably the only thing that'll shift these clowns,it's often said that we don't do revolution in the UK,but perhaps a peaceful one is long over due.
This country is on the edge of an economic precipice,driven there by rightwing neoliberalist and idiotic claptrap for many a long year!