July 21, 2021, 10:09 am
Protection Secretary Victoria Atkins has urged people to self-isolate if they are “pinged”, even if they marry the next day.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari over breakfast on LBC, the Louth and Horncastle MP encouraged people to quarantine if they were notified by the NHS Covid app because they are five times more likely to get infected with the virus than those who don’t.
When asked if people should self-isolate if they were “pinged” the night before their wedding, Ms. Atkins replied, “Oh God, the instructions are, ‘Please, you have to stay home.’
“It’s a terribly, terribly difficult scenario.”
It comes amid a surge in what is known as “pingdemic,” which has quarantined hundreds of thousands of people this month alone, despite the fact that it is never a legal requirement to follow the app’s instructions.
‘Pingdemie’: One in three Britons abuses or deletes the NHS Covid app – survey
‘Pingdemie’: The NHS Covid app isn’t being tweaked to be less sensitive, PM confirms
Nick Ferrari urged the minister why events like the European Championship, international cricket games and the snooker world championship can be held with full or almost full crowds when such a rule is in place that could disrupt weddings.
Ms. Atkins told LBC, “In fairness, not if you’ve been pinged. The person who goes to the football game the night before (if they were pinged) would not be allowed to go either. “
Ministers announced on Monday that the NHS Covid app will not be made any less sensitive, despite having repeatedly insisted over the past few weeks that it needs to be changed to tackle the number of people being forced to self-isolate .
The government decision came despite the hospitality industry and NHS trusts warning that they face staff shortages as a large percentage of their workforce is told to self-isolate as the number of cases increases.
Continue reading: No. 10 says people should isolate themselves if they are “pinged” after the minister speaks to LBC
Clock: “It cost us £ 30,000 in a weekend!”: Chef explains the effects of app pings
Ms. Atkins added, “I fully understand the terrible impact this virus has had on all of us. In fact, in my own constituency, voters contacted me about funerals.
“The toll this virus took has been dire. So if we are able to isolate the guidelines as the guidelines require, we plan to lift the double vaccination requirement by mid-August. “
From August 16, people with double knocks can avoid isolation if they come into contact with a Covid case.
When asked why the government is waiting a month for the quarantine measure to be lifted, the minister admitted the country’s high infection rates and the fact that around three million 18-30 year olds haven’t received a single vaccination.
“We must reach out to build the nation’s immunity so we can take this step in mid-August to ensure the people who have been double-vaxxted don’t have to self-isolate.”
Recent data showed that in the week leading up to July 7, 520,194 people were ordered to self-isolate. That was 46 percent more than in the previous week.
Since people typically have to isolate for 10 days, that means there are probably well over half a million people currently self-isolating due to the app.
One estimate is that up to 1.6 million people are currently self-isolating once children and those who actually have Covid are taken into account. Another suggested that the number could even exceed two million, calculated on the basis that, on average, three people are asked to self-isolate for every positive case.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs was unable to provide an exact figure for the number of people currently self-isolating.
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for No10 said the quarantine was “crucial” in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, especially after the country was unlocked on July 19.
“Isolation remains the single most important thing people can do to stop the virus from spreading,” she said.
“Given the risk of having and spreading the virus when people have been in contact with someone with Covid, it is critical that people isolate when prompted, either by NHS Test and Trace or by NHS-Covid App.
“Businesses should help people isolate, not encourage them to break.”
Their comments came after Economy Secretary Paul Scully told Nick Ferrari that “you must be legally isolated if you are contacted by the NHS regarding contact tracing or if you are claiming self-isolation payments”.
However, he added that “The app is there to help you make informed decisions. She should be there for employers and employees to hold such discussions ”.