The UK government has 'launched' a test and trace system this week, which is being used as the justification to re-open non-essential shops and send reception, year 1 and year 6 children back to school. It's also relaxed some curfew restrictions at the same time.
Financial support to people unable to work due to lockdown has been limited to 80% payments via employers through the furlough scheme, and 80% payments to (some) self-employed people.
With test and trace, any one in contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19 (less than 2 metres for 15 minutes or more) is expected to self-isolate for fourteen days. This means if you come off furlough, go into work in a shop, then have to self-isolate, you get nothing.
Meanwhile the track and trace app that the UK government is working on, ignores the privacy model developed by Apple and Google, going for a central database of interactions instead. The app will be voluntary, but complying with 14-day isolation if you're contacted via it isn't.
The app hasn't been launched yet, because it doesn't work on IOS or Android phones. Also the manual track and trace system isn't properly up and running yet according to the people who are supposed to be administering it at a local level.
theguardian.com/world/2020/may…
theguardian.com/world/2020/may…
This is causing members of the SAGE advisory committee to publicly decry coming out of lockdown 'too soon', because there is a very real risk (and already early signs of) a second spike in infections. About 400 people/day are still dying in the UK according to official figures.
At least four membes of SAGE have spoken out at this point, most of them have failed to do this in previous weeks despite a catastrophic government response to the pandemic.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-528583…
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-528583…
Test, track and trace, in theory, but also more or less in practice as seen in some other countries, should be able to massively cut transmission of the virus without the massive restrictions (both voluntary and enforced) on all social contact that 'lockdown' has involved.
What is happening instead, is it's being used as a PR announcement to re-open the economy, as a trojan horse to introduce massive privacy intrusions, and as justification to remove the already meagre support made for people unable to work due to the virus.
The simultaneous relaxation of curfew measures, with incredibly confusing advice every time this is done, re-opening of more non-essential business alongside schools means that when the second spike hits it will be blamed on 'irresponsible people who ignored our advice' again.
There is a very real possibility that curfew restrictions will be re-imposed, while increasing numbers of people will be getting forced out to work in workplaces with no proper social distancing or PPE.
A massive issue as we shift into this phase is the constant conflation of 1. Business, mass commercial event, and school shutdowns 2. Support for people unable to work 3. curfew restrictions on movement and/or social gatherings all under the nebulous term of 'lockdown'.
