Track and trace app

[Rainydayss]

Do you still have it? My friend looked at me in disgust when I said I removed the app.

What ultimately put me off downloading it was the story a work friend told me. Her friend got a message to self isolate when her neighbours tested positive. The thing was they hadn’t been in contact, but their phones had been either side of the dividing wall and apparently that was close enough to trigger it. After hearing that there was no way o was going to be downloading it!

My phone is too old

@DynamoKev

My phone is too old

Not only that there is no compulsion to even have a personal mobile smartphone nor even previous generation mobile phone (if they still work for basic functionality). Evidently this as hoc opt in non compulsory track and trace Covid system is as bad and as not fit for purpose as the wastage of public funds and magnitude of corruption surrounding many elements of the various parties involved in this useless hopeless gravy train including corruption at the very top especially those who can’t recall their share holdings and private interests of themselves, their direct family members and of course their mates in unconnected business sectors.

No because the whole thing is a shit show and I refuse to participate in the farce as much as I can. I have also blocked the NHS from texting constantly. And I work for them!

@RichardMarxisinnocent

*Is that you Hopeless Hancock? I know plenty people who have checked in to almost empty places, not been in contact of less than 2 meters and have been pinged to self isolate. I also know if people who didn't leave their houses for weeks be pinged to sled isolate. And many other combinations of various app fuck ups. Not my responsibility to inform anyone that the app doesn't work given I don't have the app, most level headed people know it's a shambles with glitches, faults and problems and the government doesn't care if it works well or not as king as they can bang on that it's there. Maybe you are Dido Do FA Harding not Hopeless Hancock. Either way there's good reason why a LOT of NHS staff don't have it and have in fact been instructed not to have it as well as police and other public sector staff. I'm quite happy without it and sceptical enough to know it is not particularly helpful in dealing with the pandemic*

Not Dido Harding nor Matt Hancock. I am NHS staff though, and do have the app with contact tracing switched off. I've checked into various venues since last summer, some busy, some not. I haven't been pinged to self isolate at all, and neither has anyone I know who uses the app to check in.

You're absolutely certain that all the people you know who have been pinged have contact tracing switched off? And they have checked in the app when the date of exposure was, and found it to be a date they used the venue check in?

Alternatively If they had contact tracing switched on, as the self isolation notification doesn't tell you where you were exposed, are they sure it was from the half empty place and not somewhere else they had been?

And if you're suggesting Dido Harding has something to do with the app, she doesn't. She's in charge of NHS Test and Trace, but that has nothing to do with the app. It's an NHS designed app.

I categorically state that I know people who have checked into one place only in days, not been near anyone and have been pinged. Your blind faith in the app is quite worrying. And if dido Harding is 'in charge' of test and trace that includes the app as part of that portfolio. Anyway I'm not going to argue with strangers on the internet. I don't have the app, I think it's useless and has done diddly squat to help the situation. Have a good day!

I have never had it, I am not especially averse to it, but I have an old phone. I have been asked to use it to sign in many times, just say I haven’t got it.

I categorically state that I know people who have checked into one place only in days, not been near anyone and have been pinged. Your blind faith in the app is quite worrying. And if dido Harding is 'in charge' of test and trace that includes the app as part of that portfolio. Anyway I'm not going to argue with strangers on the internet. I don't have the app, I think it's useless and has done diddly squat to help the situation. Have a good day!

I don't have blind faith in the app, I'm trying to understand whether people who have contact tracing switched off have been pinged purely from having checked into venues, because if they have I find that extremely worrying as it isn't how the info about the app says it works, and thus I'd want to report it as a major issue as people's data is being used for the wrong purpose.

If people who have contact tracing switched on are being pinged when they haven't been near anyone else, either at the venue or anywhere else (such as supermarket or other shop) then that seems as if something has gone wrong with the algorithm which works out if people are in close contact. This is also an issue which would need to be fixed, but probably a technical issue with the algorithm design or how it works, rather than a misuse of data.

I don't deny that the app has some glitches - it would be very unusual for an IT system or app to be completely bug free, but for you to know multiple people who have all experienced such a fundamental issue is very concerning, so am just trying to understand more. I don't mean to come over as arguing with you - part of my job is IT system testing so it's in my nature to try to understand /work out what scenarios is causing a bug to happen. Maybe I should try to stick to only doing so at work! Have a nice day too

I've got it. And I've been asked to use it in every single indoor place I've been since things opened up again - museum, gallery, cinema, cafe, pub, restaurant. With the option to write my details down if I didn't have it. But it saves time. Never been pinged by it. I do know several people who have been pinged, two of whom went on to test positive, all of whom followed the advice to self isolate (though I suppose it's very possible I know people who have been pinged by it and refused to self isolate, but they're not talking about that on social media!)

We were told we wouldn't be allowed into McDonald's yesterday unless we had the app. The staff member said it was required by law so I downloaded it onto my phone. We went to the same McDonald's after a beach trip around a month ago and they let us in without having the app or giving any details. We haven't been anywhere else that has asked for it.

tigger85 McDonald's are fibbing. Interesting, because traditionally McDonald's is full of groups of kids and teenagers, and under 16s are not recommended to download the app. If you don't have the app any hospitality venue should be happy to take your details on paper.

@aibubaby

Must admit I'm quite surprised at some of the responses here (8 days into a T&T-notified isolation haha) - I dunno how you're all getting into anywhere without it, can't go in a single bar or restaurant in my town without. When my DH didn't have it on his new phone they made him download the app before he was allowed in somewhere for tea, even though I'd checked myself in. Even a cafe I was just going to pick a sandwich I'd ordered up from made me do it when I was spending no more than a minute in there.

Maybe some areas are being more careful than others?! But interesting that there's so much variation.

I only had one problem and that was when I was told in GBK that I had to have the app by law. Apparently taking details manually isn't legal. I walked out and went somewhere else.

No where I have been has asked for details or for me to scan with the app. I never downloaded the app as no room on my phone but I haven’t seen anyone use the scan thing either!

@RichardMarxisinnocent

I categorically state that I know people who have checked into one place only in days, not been near anyone and have been pinged. Your blind faith in the app is quite worrying. And if dido Harding is 'in charge' of test and trace that includes the app as part of that portfolio. Anyway I'm not going to argue with strangers on the internet. I don't have the app, I think it's useless and has done diddly squat to help the situation. Have a good day!

I don't have blind faith in the app, I'm trying to understand whether people who have contact tracing switched off have been pinged purely from having checked into venues, because if they have I find that extremely worrying as it isn't how the info about the app says it works, and thus I'd want to report it as a major issue as people's data is being used for the wrong purpose.

If people who have contact tracing switched on are being pinged when they haven't been near anyone else, either at the venue or anywhere else (such as supermarket or other shop) then that seems as if something has gone wrong with the algorithm which works out if people are in close contact. This is also an issue which would need to be fixed, but probably a technical issue with the algorithm design or how it works, rather than a misuse of data.

I don't deny that the app has some glitches - it would be very unusual for an IT system or app to be completely bug free, but for you to know multiple people who have all experienced such a fundamental issue is very concerning, so am just trying to understand more. I don't mean to come over as arguing with you - part of my job is IT system testing so it's in my nature to try to understand /work out what scenarios is causing a bug to happen. Maybe I should try to stick to only doing so at work! Have a nice day too

Thanks for that response. Even strangers can be respectful of one another on the internet which is lovely :-) You work in IT, I work in healthcare. Let's both stick to our areas of expertise then all shall be right haha!

I don’t have it. I’ve been to restaurants twice since last year. Once I gave my details and the second time I lied and said I’d downloaded the app and checked in because I couldn’t be bothered for the fuss. I couldn’t care less about being tracked, I use Apple Pay and have my location turned on my phone. But I cannot afford to isolate, neither can my DH so none of us will be downloading it.

I have it and use it on the rare occasions that I've been to a cafe or restaurant. I'd rather do a quick scan than bother signing in.