Government falls short of contact-tracing target as testing labelled ‘shambles’

The Government’s approach to coronavirus testing has been labelled a “shambles” as it emerged that just 1,500 contact tracers out of a promised 18,000 had been appointed by the start of the week.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said while “about 15,000” applications have been received, only 1,500 people have currently been hired for the programme which is seen as key to allowing the UK to lift the most stringent lockdown measures.

Ministers hope contact tracing will reduce transmission by identifying and alerting people who may have been exposed to the virus, so that they can protect themselves and others around them by self-isolating.

But as the Government’s mid-May deadline for the recruitment of 18,000 contact tracers passed, shadow cabinet office minister Rachel Reeves called the approach so far “a shambles”.

Mr Lewis also defended guidance given to care homes in early March which said it was “very unlikely” residents would become infected with coronavirus.

He said that at the time there were “very, very low levels of death and spread of the virus”.

However, Office for National Statistics figures show five care home residents had died with Covid-19 by the time the Government advice was withdrawn on March 13.

Meanwhile education unions were meeting the chief medical officer and other experts on Friday over the Government’s push to reopen schools in England amid mounting criticism of the approach.

The unions and the Local Government Association have expressed concerns as ministers push for a gradual reopening of classrooms from June 1.

But the teaching unions have faced their own backlash over their approach, with former Labour education secretary Lord Blunkett saying: “I am being deeply critical of the attitude.

“It’s about how can we work together to make it work as safely as possible.

“Anyone who works against that in my view is working against the interests of children.”

Schools in Liverpool will not reopen to most pupils after the city’s mayor raised safety fears over children going back into classes, with only the children of key workers and vulnerable youngsters allowed back into school from June 1.

Mayor Joe Anderson earlier this week said he was “minded to resist” the June 1 reopening date because of safeguarding concerns.

Steve Reddy, director of children and young people’s services at Liverpool City Council said on Friday he is writing to all parents to tell them not to expect schools to reopen.

In the letter Mr Reddy said: “Our guiding principle is that schools can only re-open to other pupils when it is safe to do so and not a moment before.

“Only once we can be sure that schools are safe for both children and staff will they be able to open to more children. The safety of your child, and of our staff, is our top priority.”

Ms Reeves said it was the Government’s responsibility to make sure schools were safe.

“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,” she told Sky News.

Describing some of the steps needed, Ms Reeves added: “That’s through a combination of measures. Testing for example where I’m afraid the approach so far has been a shambles, ensuring that there are enough rooms in the class to teach children if the class sizes are going to be reduced.

“The onus really is on Government to prove that it is safe and to work with the teachers and the teaching unions rather than treating them as some sort of enemy to progress because that’s not going to help anyone.

“That’s not going to get teachers back in the class and it’s not going to get parents to send their children back to school.”

Downing Street said the Government would continue to work with head teachers and unions to “get children back into school in a way that is safe”.

In other developments:

– The PA news agency has verified at least 150 NHS frontline workers who have died with Covid-19.

– The Crown Prosecution Service admitted dozens of people have been wrongly charged by police under new coronavirus laws.

– Public transport users in London will be hit by fare increases and restrictions on free travel due to the Government’s £1.6 billion bailout of Transport for London.

– Academics at the University of Cambridge reported that the UK’s rate of reinfection, known as the R number, was now firmly under 1.0 – a goal the Prime Minister has set in order to keep gradually releasing the lockdown in the coming months.

– A study showed that more than a quarter of NHS patients who died in hospitals in England after contracting coronavirus had diabetes.

– Northern Ireland took its first steps towards easing its coronavirus restrictions, with garden centres and household recycling centres to be allowed to reopen on Monday.

– Ministers in Wales prepared to outline their road map for exiting the lockdown later on Friday.

Mr Lewis told Sky News on Friday morning: “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.”

Pushed again on how many of the 15,000 applicants have been appointed, he added: “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.”

Downing Street later said it was still “on course” to have 18,000 contact tracers next week, and insisted “significantly more” than the 1,500 had been recruited.

However, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman was unable to say how many had been hired.

The Government intends to roll out the coronavirus contact-tracing app nationwide after its trial in the Isle of Wight.

The diabetes figures and other research that has found being obese doubles the risk of needing hospital treatment for coronavirus has prompted Boris Johnson to draw up plans for a “much more interventionist” drive to tackle obesity, according to The Times.

The Prime Minister, who spent three nights in intensive care with Covid-19, was said to have told senior ministers and advisers “I’ve changed my mind on this” and that he was drawing up a new strategy.

Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.