Just 1,500 of 18,000 coronavirus contact tracers hired, Cabinet minister admits

Just 1,500 of the targeted 18,000 coronavirus contract tracers have been hired so far, a Cabinet Minister has confirmed.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said while there were 15,000 applications, just 1,500 so far have been hired.

The Government is well short of the 18,000 tracer target it set itself by mid-May, with the aim of lifting lockdown restrictions looming in June and July.

"I don’t think we’ve got to 18,000 just yet, I think there’s about 15,000 applications, we’re looking to as you say get up to 18,000," Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said.

Asked on how many of the 15,000 applicants have been appointed, he told Sky News: “As of this morning, I’m not sure of exactly how many of the 15,000 have been hired, earlier in the week it was about 1,500, it would have gone up since then.”

Elsewhere Bob Seely, MP for the Isle of Wight - where the pilot scheme for the operation is taking place - insisted the system is working well despite the number of Covid-19 tests being sent out only numbering in the hundreds.

The MP said "just downloading the app is the critical bit".

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Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves described the Government's approach as a "shambles".

The tracking system is critical to the Government's plan to track people who may have been exposed to Covid-19, so they can self-isolate to stop the spread of the disease.

In a letter to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, Ms Reeves called for answers as to whether there will be enough contact tracers in place to allow the UK to ease its way out of the current lockdown.

The government's contact tracing app campaign.

Ms Reeves said Labour thought it was a "mistake" to have stopped contact tracing in March and said it "supported" moves to establish a "comprehensive strategy for contact tracing both through the use of a suitable mobile phone app and a manual tracing service".

She said it was important that a tracing system was in place before children's planned return to schools in June.

Ms Reeves added: "The Government do need to reassure teachers, teaching staff at schools, parents and pupils that it is safe to return and unless they do that teachers aren't going to go back into the classroom and parents aren't going to send the young people."

In her letter to Mr Gove, Ms Reeves also questioned the reported hiring of private firm Serco to put in place the manual contact tracing team.

"It is my understanding from these reports that Serco have been asked to provide 18,000 staff, despite some public health professionals suggesting as many as 50,000 staff are needed, and that these staff will be provided with just one day of training before starting work," she said.

The Government has trialled a track-and-trace phone app on the Isle of Man Credit: PA

"Contact tracing is a skilled role, handling highly sensitive information, the consequences of which are profound both in terms of public health and the economy.

"Yet job advertisements for manual contact tracing staff are presented as a 'work from home opportunity', at an hourly rate of less than the living wage."

The Government has trialled a track-and-trace phone app on the Isle of Man since May 5, however no data has been shared on its progress so far.

Developed by NHSX, the technology arm of the health service, the app anonymously sends alerts and provides advice to users about what to do if exposed to someone with Covid-19.

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