UK contact tracing system delayed until September

The app-based track-and-trace system that was supposed to be in place in the UK by June 1 will not be working at full speed until September or October, and the chief executive of Serco, one of the main companies contracted to deliver it, doubted the system would evolve smoothly. Scientists have said that lockdown should not be eased until the track-and-trace system is well-established. Serco is responsible for recruiting 10,000 of the 25,000 contact tracers, and is being paid an initial fee of £45.8 million, potentially rising to £90 million. In a recalled message, CEO Rupert Soames commented that the success of the system would go a long way toward “cementing the position of the private sector companies in the public sector supply chain”. Recruited workers have noted the lack of data coming through and complained that the communication and training have been inadequate.
 

Publication: Guardian

Writer: Sarah Marsh