If I download Track and Trace now...

[MintyCedric]

...how soon will it show if I've been in contact with someone?

I've not downloaded it yet as being vulnerable myself and caring for very vulnerable elderly parents I have pretty much locked myself away for most of the last year.

However, my elderly next door neighbour has just been taken off in an ambulance (in a wheelchair/conscious).

His son was there earlier to check on him and call 111 (we're terraced and my sofa is right next to the window at the front of the house, I couldn't avoid hearing some of the convo), but didn't go inside or stay with him so I'm concerned that it might be Covid related.

We don't have any contact personally but with my parents to consider (dad is on end of life care), I can't be too careful.

Is T & T likely to show if I need to isolate if he has got it?

The virus cannot travel through walls. You haven't been in contact with him so there is very minimal to almost zero risk here.

Track and trace will only work if he actually has it loaded in his phone and updates it if he has a positive test. If he is elderly I am imagining him having or doing any of these things is unlikely (if he is anything like my DM!).

The short message is that you don't know if he has Covid and even if he does you are very unlikely to have caught it from him.

If you haven’t been in contact with him, I’m confused as to why you’re concerned?

Or do you just want to know if your neighbour is a positive case ?

Are you serious? I don't imagine we'd ever end this pandemic if it could travel through walls

Pretty sure the app can’t tell where you’ve been before you actually download it.

OP, do you know how viruses are transmitted?

Can you explain to us how you think the coronavirus (if your neighbour even has it? You have literally no evidence that he does) is going to infect you through your wall?

Maybe the OP is just being nosey ?

I take your point about it not travelling through walls, but it's not completely inconceivable that transfer could occur from postmen, couriers going door to door, or bin men touching handles of bins.

Agreed it's highly unlikely, and no im not particularly nosey, but since I'm caring for my dying father six days a week I may be inclined to be a little overcautious/anxious.

Firstly, Track and trace would require your elderly neighbour to also have a smart phone with the app downloaded. If he doesn't, nothing will show up.

Secondly, it would only ping you if your devices had been in the contact range for the right amount of time. It won't alert you that someone registered as living next door on the electoral role has covid if that's what you mean?! It doesn't know your address (pretty sure I didn't input mine but happy to be corrected)

All it will do is track contacts ONCE the app has been dowloaded.

The app wont deal with any contact you had before you download it.

Yeah, I think I was probably having an unnecessary panic tbh .

My dad's been on 'end of life' care for about 8 months now with severe frailty...a cold would kill him.

I adore him and I'm admittedly quite paranoid about the possibility of passing something on, or having to isolate and not being there with the inevitable happen.

I think my brain's slightly addled by the stress of it all tbh.

Hope neighbour is ok and glad he's got someone to look out for him. I've tried to say hi several times int eh three years we've been here but he always avoids eye contact and scuttles off.