Key Workers Will Be First To Trial New Coronavirus Tracking App

5 May 2020, 11:20

An NHS app aiming to tackle the spread of coronavirus will be trialled first among key workers.

The new NHS app which tracks the spread of coronavirus is being tested in the Isle of Wight, where key workers will be the first to test it.

Council and healthcare workers will be the first to try the app, which contacts people to let them know if they’ve been in close proximity to someone who’s tested positive for coronavirus.

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If the trial is successful on the Isle of Wight it could be rolled out for nationwide use in the coming weeks.

After key workers trial the app themselves, the rest of the island will be able to download it from Thursday.

The app is part of the government’s plan to ease lockdown restrictions.

It will also rely heavily on widespread testing and contact tracing to monitor the spread of the virus and hopefully reduce future outbreaks.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said residents on the Isle of Wight had “huge enthusiasm” for the trial.

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He said: “By downloading the app, you are protecting your own health, you are protecting the health of your loved ones and the health of your community.

"Where the Isle of Wight goes, Britain follows."

Alongside the app, the government have also hired an “army” of human contact tracers to establish where the disease is spreading.

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