Track and trace - surely you'll never be at work

[Lubeylube]

If track and trace alerts if you have been in contact with someone with symptoms surely all people who travel on public transport and are unable to social distance at work will constantly be in isolation for 14 days.

New and active cases have to be a certain (low) level for this to work. I think it is low hundreds?

I was wondering this too. Or if one person at tests positive, is the whole workplace knocked out?

I think you have to have been within 2 meters of someone who tests positive for at least 15 mins before it will notify you?

I also just had a thought - will rules in workplaces need to be relaxed, so that people can have their phones on them?

For example - retail workers keep their phones in lockers, and they often need to be switched off. So technically they could spend an 8 hour shift with someone (in very close proximity) who later tests positive and their phone wouldn’t trigger an alert. Or would it still work?

This worries me so I am in contact with someone with it isolate for 2 weeks and then possibly do it all over again?

I work in healthcare... how is that going to work ???

It won't work without your phone being on you, no. So in many key worker professions, that's a safeguarding issue and would need looking at.

Weirdly, considering our shitty lockdown rules, it actually appears the government thinks it takes 15 minutes of exposure to be at risk.

Hopefully the idea is that healthcare workers are tested regularly ie weekly anyway

Am waiting to hear what happens when you work in a small town that has very very limited phone signal, and none at all inside the buildings!

If you're alerted, you wouldn't self isolate for 2 weeks, you'd get a test, quick turnaround (in theory) and back to work.

@ladypete I work in retail and we have to have our phones on us as we use them a lot for work. We have apps etc that we use to do our jobs and also so that we can be contacted by our managers if needed,I do work in a very large 2 story supermarket though. Maybe this will need to be considered by other businesses too,you're absolutely right though,this definitely needs to be looked into,friends of mine in other retail jobs have to leave their phones in their lockers.

And I assume it wouldn’t work in London at all because there’s no signal/WiFi on the Underground. Or have I misunderstood the technology?

We have no signal at all at home (all my messages ping in when I go for my daily walk!) and a very weak/intermittent signal at work. Not sure how this app would work.

What about schools? Thousands of people mixing all day and already a teacher shortage

@daisypond I think it picks up on other people around you through bluetooth, rather than through wifi/mobile networks.

What worries me is everyone who would say, "I haven't received an alert, so it's OK, I can go and see Gran."

And I assume it wouldn’t work in London at all because there’s no signal/WiFi on the Underground. Or have I misunderstood the technology?

It’s Bluetooth so no signal required.

In schools it'll be the equivalent of setting off the fire alarm

It's being trailed. They will tweak it. The 2m 15 minute thing is because you are far more likely to contract it then than from a random person you pass.
It's done with bluetooth so doesn't need a wifi or mobile phone signal.

@BlueGreenYellowRed the consensus seems to be that none of the rules that apply elsewhere should apply in schools and everyone just needs to get on with it.... May have fallen out with people over this recently

I agree with comment above about retail workers. I work in a very busy opticians and we aren't allowed to keep our phones on us and we are 2 inches away from people not 2 metres. Will the government make a recommendation to business that they encourage carrying of phones during working hours maybe used in airplane mode as you still get Bluetooth that way

There are so many people out there in shopping queues, at work, on public transport who will definitely be alerted constantly, I don't see how they would be able to keep up with that level of testing, including the time out to go and have the test.