From today (28th May 2020), anyone with Covid-19 symptoms will be tested and if they test positive, they will be told to self-isolate for at least seven days and asked to provide information about their recent interactions.
The NHS Test and Trace service, including 25,000 dedicated contact tracing staff working with Public Health England, will have the capacity to trace the contacts of 10,000 people who test positive for Covid-19 per day, with the option to scale up if needed.
Those identified as having been within two metres of an infected person for more than 15 minutes will be contacted and advised to stay at home for 14 days to avoid the risk of spreading the virus further.
If they develop symptoms themselves, they will get tested and if they also test positive, they will have to self-isolate for seven days from that moment or longer if they still have symptoms. If they test negative, they must still complete the 14-day isolation period. Members of their household will not have to stay at home unless the person identified becomes symptomatic.
Contact tracers will:
- call you from 0300 013 5000
- send you text messages from ‘NHS’
- ask you to sign into the NHS test and trace contact-tracing website
- ask for your full name and date of birth to confirm your identity, and postcode to offer support while self-isolating
- ask about the coronavirus symptoms you have been experiencing
- ask you to provide the name, telephone number and/or email address of anyone you have had close contact with in the 2 days prior to your symptoms starting
- ask if anyone you have been in contact with is under 18 or lives outside of England
The programme will also offer valuable intelligence about Covid-19 and the way it behaves to inform plans intended to eradicate it.
A new NHS app to support the programme is also due to be launched in the coming weeks following a successful trial in the Isle of Wight. The app will help extend the reach of contact tracing by identifying those who an infected person may not know they had been in contact with such as when on public transport.
“The app will also give powerful insights into the spread of the virus and how to contain it,” according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Dido Harding, executive chair of NHS Test and Trace, said the service had been set up at rapid pace and added that work was underway to “tailor support at a local level”.
“Together we can help contain the virus, stop it spreading further and ultimately save lives,” she added.
All information you provide to the NHS test and trace service is held in strict confidence and will only be kept and used in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.
For more on how the Test and Trace system works and the guidelines around it, please visit here.
