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Original poster

Track and trace calling every day?

84 replies

crayray · 30/06/2021 18:55

DH has just returned from an overseas trip to an amber country. He took a call today from track and trace to remind him of all the rules he needs to follow (and to read a long speech from a script about data security). After the speech he told the caller that he'd had a call yesterday and been through all the same information. The caller said 'yes that's right. We have to call you every single day for the ten days'. I'm bemused by this. What's the point?? If he decided to break the rules and go out and about during this period, he wouldn't exactly tell them! (not that he will be going out). And it's not like they're giving him new information each day!? Could they be tracing the location of his mobile phone during these calls? If so, surely they would have to be up front about it. If they're not, what are they achieving? I could understand if he had missed a call one day and they called the next, but surely they don't need to have the same discussion with him 10 times...

OP posts:
Original poster
crayray · 30/06/2021 20:38

@Doubledoorsontogarden

It’s an Amber country. Why did he travel. I’m glad that track and trace do this. Equally I’m glad That the government contact covid positive people
What do you mean? The advice for the country is 'to avoid all but essential travel'. It was essential travel. He doesn't object to self-isolating and testing. He doesn't even object to the daily calls. I just think it's illogical and pointless.

You've clearly not read any of the posts about the ludicrous harassment people are experiencing.

OP posts:
wasthataburp · 30/06/2021 20:39

@Doubledoorsontogarden

It’s an Amber country. Why did he travel. I’m glad that track and trace do this. Equally I’m glad That the government contact covid positive people
You are allowed to go to amber countries. Not sure why your saying that
MargaretThatcherMilkSnatcher · 30/06/2021 20:42

@Doubledoorsontogarden

It’s an Amber country. Why did he travel. I’m glad that track and trace do this. Equally I’m glad That the government contact covid positive people
I'm glad that Test & Trace contact people - me included when I had Covid - but calling multiple times per day, or even once per day, is ridiculous. If people are prepared to isolate, they will. Harassing them every day isn't going to make them suddenly realise that they have to stay home.

As for harassing people who are bed bound or, worse, in hospital with Covid - that's just disgusting.

Lemons1571 · 30/06/2021 20:50

I thought T&T had only one phone number and they use the same number each time. Can’t they be blocked on a mobile? Or is that illegal?

SchnitzelVonCrummsTum · 30/06/2021 20:59

DH tested positive last October. We did not have a single call. Nothing. We all isolated as required but I was expecting to be inundated. Was really weird. I tried to tell Test and trace that no-one had got in touch, but it's surprisingly hard to feed any information into the system.

Bottom line: it seems to be all or nothing!

Lochroy · 30/06/2021 21:01

@Doubledoorsontogarden

It’s an Amber country. Why did he travel. I’m glad that track and trace do this. Equally I’m glad That the government contact covid positive people
I've no issue with being contacted, but the length of spiel every single time when I have a screaming child in the background is already getting frustrating.

Plus they just ask if I'm obeying the stay at home rules. I'm on a mobile. I could be anywhere. They could ask the question by text.

Carameljack · 30/06/2021 21:19

I had dozens and dozens of bloody calls from them when we all tested positive. First I had my call to say isolate. Then because it was my phone numbers on the DCs records I had the same call for them. Then as we’d named DH as a contact they called for him. He tested positive and named us all as contacts. We then had calls from them about that. I was getting multiple calls each day from them, one for each of us. I tried to say one time, you’re going to ring me about the next child, it’s all the same answers and I got told there was no way to link the cases like that Hmm 37 billion pounds was it they were given? And can’t link households. I just started ignoring them in the end and no one came to the door.

trackandtracedebacle · 30/06/2021 21:41

One of the main issues was the T & T telephone number shows as either 'no caller ID' or something else similar to an NHS telephone number. There was no way to distinguish whether it was ITU calling (also 'no caller ID') to say my DH had deteriorated so I had to answer the phone.
I'd entered my mobile phone number as the contact number otherwise his mobile would have rung non-stop in ITU too.
No I've never had an apology from T & T. My DH is recovering thankfully after many months touch and go. We're all traumatised but the complete lack of hospital visiting and T&T's utter incompetence are going to take a lot of time to get over.

I'm so sorry you lost your Mum @Lovelydovey Flowers

RJnomore1 · 30/06/2021 21:43

Someone asked about numbers, they were calling me from a range of different but similar numbers and from unidentified numbers. I’m in Scotland which is another level of shitshow.

I just stopped answering any calls that weren’t from a known contact (I rarely do in normal times). In fact I wasn’t answering any calls, I couldn’t speak to my elderly mother or my own daughter, I thought I was actually going to die (I am not exaggerating, I felt so ill I was shaking and being sick with fevers) and the woman I did speak to Said she was a nurse and kept me on the phone for 25 minutes.

I’m pretty sure it’s unethical at the very least.

I’m so sorry for those of you who have been through similar while I’ll or your loved ones.

Hoppinggreen · 30/06/2021 21:46

We are abroad in an Amber country and expect to be called during our 10 day isolation BUT we don’t usually answer with held numbers and what if we are on a work call? Also, will they want to speak to the dc? (12 and 16)
Can we put the phone on speaker and have a joint call?

Againstmachine · 30/06/2021 21:56

I'm curious why it may be law to obey track and trace, I'm sure there is no law that says you have to respond to their insistant phone calls.

JellyBabiesFan · 30/06/2021 22:10

What would have gone down if you refused to answer the questions? Picked up by the police and waterboarded in their HQ until you broke I suppose.

What a shit show.

Original poster
crayray · 30/06/2021 22:58

@Hoppinggreen

We are abroad in an Amber country and expect to be called during our 10 day isolation BUT we don’t usually answer with held numbers and what if we are on a work call? Also, will they want to speak to the dc? (12 and 16) Can we put the phone on speaker and have a joint call?
Who knows. Maybe you'll have a visit. Seems there is no predicting it. If you're on work calls I expect they'll leave a voicemail though.

As for the loudspeaker thing, it would seem the most obvious solution (beyond the logical 'not calling every day' idea). But I expect they won't do it, because either each caller will have a specific list of people they need to call, and chances are you won't all be on the same list, or they'll have to complete your record before going into your partners record and going through the same thing and then ditto with your children. Just a guess but it sounds like this is the level of sophistication we're dealing with.

OP posts:
Silverparting · 01/07/2021 01:07

We were called multiple times a day, on behalf of my kids too. Relentless.

The calls would come thick and fast, during work meetings at home. Loads of texts too.

It made a horrible situation (child with Covid, homeschooling, both working full time) more horrid.
It was like a dystopian novel.

QuentininQuarantino · 01/07/2021 06:38

I’m shocked reading this. I live in an amber country and dithering other whether to come home or not, to see family. This has decided it for me! Which I suppose is the point.

It all seems so very Orwellian. It must cost the taxpayer an absolute fortune. And cases go up regardless. What happens to your data? Can you withhold consent from data being shared with third parties? Doesn’t it risk positive people (not travelers who have no choice) not reporting it to avoid the harassment of the calls? I read about people giving fake data to restaurants to avoid being picked up by T&T and that was without reports of these calls…

Thirtyrock39 · 01/07/2021 06:44

It's a strange one as I think most households with confirmed covid would be unlikely to break isolation rules but contacts and quarantine after travel I think probably does need a bit more checking but when I was recenently isolating as a contact I only had a call the first day even though they said they'd ring again - judging by the current mood which seems very 'enough is enough' re contacts isolating (personally I'm in the rules camp still) it would seem a better use of resources to 'check up' on contacts and quarantine than hassle those with a confirmed case .

Lemons1571 · 01/07/2021 06:49

@QuentininQuarantino a positive pcr test is automatically passed to T&T and added to your nhs medical record. GDPR seems to have gone out the window, with T&T demanding your potential close contacts details without their authority.

I’ve never had the app, I always write my details down if a venue requests them. Hardly anyone wrote their details down the old fashioned way this time last year. Now, each cafe has sheets and sheets of paper filled in, all with Joe Bloggs, 01234 567890 and similar such made up details.

Even my local hospital has started using their local phone number to cal outpatients about non-covid medical matters. otherwise no one is ever answering calls from unknown / withheld numbers in case it’s T&T.

CrunchyCarrot · 01/07/2021 06:50

I am finding all the accounts in this thread upsetting to read - why on earth couldn't T&T be a better-designed system, it cannot be that hard? It's insane, a total waste of the T&T callers' time, too, as it's so unnecessarily repetitive. Times have been hard enough without being harassed in this manner, especially if you or loved ones are ill. I really feel for those of you who've been through this.

Roussette · 01/07/2021 07:00

I just don't know how £37billion can be spent on a system that is obviously not functioning properly.

Surely they can tie up families together instead of call after call for each person.

Temp023 · 01/07/2021 07:01

I used to answer and then hang up when I realised it was T&T. We were obeying the rules so happy for them to come to the house, but they never did.

nowlook · 01/07/2021 07:12

Exactly the same here! Returned from amber on Friday and two calls per day since (one for me; one for DS2).

I don't mind the call itself, but I do mind the fact it takes so long to go through their script. Tried to cut it short as had a work call by saying:

  • happy to continue in English
  • happy for you to record and share info;
  • yes, self-isolating
  • yes, had day 2
-yes, opted into test to release
  • yes will still take day 8 even if test to release is negative

I was also marked as uncooperative HmmGrin

What's worse is I've now had a notification of close contact through track and trace. Must have been some dozy sod on the plane. Separate daily calls from them now and apparently have to self-isolate for 10 days even though I've already had two negative tests since Confused

MrsSchadenfreude · 01/07/2021 07:21

Interesting. I flew back from an amber country a few weeks ago and got no calls or visits at all.

ThatsnotMyNameAgain · 01/07/2021 07:31

@QuentininQuarantino - totally agree: Orwellian.

To the PP who said they are glad for these calls and checks. Really!? At what point do you wake up and wonder whether we slipped into full dystopia?

I started by being very supportive of any government effort to manage covid, but I can't anymore. The last quarantine release for "business people" plus Euro2020 covid case debacle did it for me. These 37bn are a massive sore point for what we get and i m shocked at how TT both waste their time and compound the hurt of people in extremely stressful situations.

Original poster
crayray · 01/07/2021 07:35

@Thirtyrock39

It's a strange one as I think most households with confirmed covid would be unlikely to break isolation rules but contacts and quarantine after travel I think probably does need a bit more checking but when I was recenently isolating as a contact I only had a call the first day even though they said they'd ring again - judging by the current mood which seems very 'enough is enough' re contacts isolating (personally I'm in the rules camp still) it would seem a better use of resources to 'check up' on contacts and quarantine than hassle those with a confirmed case .
But I don't think it achieves that aim. For all they know, DH could be sitting in a friend's house when he takes the call, or have just got home from a shopping trip. Unless they are actually triangulating the location of his phone, all they can do is take his word for it. So calling every day is a waste of time as it actually achieves nothing. It just becomes a box ticking exercise.
OP posts:
Imnothereforthedrama · 01/07/2021 07:36

When I had Covid they called I think the first 3 days then didn’t call for a couple of days then a couple more .
It does seem excessive everyday but I think if you’ve come back from a amber country there should be extra checks but ringing every day is a bit much .