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You may be wondering what's going on with the contact tracing app. We were too, so @SkyNewsValerie asked the Department of Health
I think we can all agree this clears things up completely
I think we can all agree this clears things up completely
Health Minister Lord Bethell asked about the contact tracing app at @CommonsSTC
"We're seeking to get something going before the winter, but it isn't the priority at the moment"
Confirms it is still the government's intention to introduce it
"We're seeking to get something going before the winter, but it isn't the priority at the moment"
Confirms it is still the government's intention to introduce it
"Before the winter" sounds like a long way off - although to be fair Lord Bethell says this is "expectation management"
Lord Bethell says "we're not feeling great time pressure" about the app
Cites the difficulty of getting the technical details right - and the "ongoing battle" to persuade people it's safe and protects their privacy
Cites the difficulty of getting the technical details right - and the "ongoing battle" to persuade people it's safe and protects their privacy
Lord Bethell asked what success on the Isle of Wight trial means
He lists a few reasons - including that people "weren't frightened of it, as we were worried that they might be"
There were also "strong examples of where it had broken the chain of transmission"
He lists a few reasons - including that people "weren't frightened of it, as we were worried that they might be"
There were also "strong examples of where it had broken the chain of transmission"
The main lesson from the Isle of Wight seems to be that the app wasn't as useful as manual contact tracing
Lord Bethell says that's what pilot projects are for, but I think it's fair to say many people predicted this
As @MarinaHyde would say, this isn't retrospect, it's spect
Lord Bethell says that's what pilot projects are for, but I think it's fair to say many people predicted this
As @MarinaHyde would say, this isn't retrospect, it's spect
CORRECTION:
Lord Bethell didn't say "before the winter", he said "for the winter"
"We're seeking to get something going *for* the winter"... I'd say if anything that puts the timeline even further back
Lord Bethell didn't say "before the winter", he said "for the winter"
"We're seeking to get something going *for* the winter"... I'd say if anything that puts the timeline even further back
Going back through the recording. Notable how Lord Bethell stressed the "ongoing battle" to calm fears about privacy:
"People's concerns about the app are enormous and right and we are really conscious of it"
But he did not commit to a legislative framework cc @lilianedwards
"People's concerns about the app are enormous and right and we are really conscious of it"
But he did not commit to a legislative framework cc @lilianedwards
This has prompted the usual pile-on but there are points in favour of the government's approach, however they arrived at it:
1. Prevalence is low right now so it's not clear how much the app would help
2. Getting manual contact tracing *should* be the priority
1. Prevalence is low right now so it's not clear how much the app would help
2. Getting manual contact tracing *should* be the priority
3. There are no clear signs from other countries that apps are very useful - and in fact enthusiasm for them has waned significantly in many parts of the world, such as the US
If that changes, say in France or Germany, *then* the government will start to come under pressure
If that changes, say in France or Germany, *then* the government will start to come under pressure
