Number 10 slaps down London minister for saying people can ignore Covid app
Downing Street has quickly slapped down London minister Paul Scully for saying it is optional to self-isolate after being pinged by the NHS Covid Test and Trace app.
A Number 10 spokesperson said it is “crucial people isolate when they are told to do so” in a clear rebuke to Scully.
The minister said this morning on Times Radio that it is up to people to “make informed decisions” about whether to self-isolate.
“It’s up to individuals and employers,” he said.
It comes after The Times reported today that ministers have written to manufacturers to tell them there is no legal obligation to self-isolate if alerted by the Test and Trace app.
Up to 1m people are thought to be currently self-isolating due to alerts from the app as Covid cases surge across the UK.
A Downing Street spokesperson reiterated the need to self-isolate.
“Isolation remains the most important action people can take to stop the spread of the virus,” they said.
“It is crucial people isolate when they are told to do so, either by NHS Test and Trace or by the NHS covid app. Businesses should be supporting employees to isolate, they should not be encouraging them to break isolation”.
Labour’s shadow health minister Justin Madders accused the government of “making it up as they go along”.
“Ministers mix messages, change approach and water down proposals when the public and businesses need clarity and certainty,” he said.
“If this is a true change in approach on the app, why didn’t the Prime Minister set this out last night?
“Yet again there is more confusion and incompetence from the heart of government at the expense of public health. They need to get a grip.”
Boris Johnson said last night that it was not possible to change the self-isolation rules to stop the so-called pingdemic, despite warnings from the private sector.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a number of major retailers have complained that the coming number of workers that will be forced to self-isolate will be crippling.
The number of people being self-isolating will decrease significantly on 16 August when double-jabbed people will no longer need to stay indoors after being pinged by the app.