One of the two reasons Test Track and trace has failed was made very plain and simple by News night last night, glad they highlighted that. It appears that up to 70% of people in certain areas that applied for the so called support ( money) from the government, to enable them to isolate after testing positive was not granted. So what does that person do with no money to pay rent or mortgage, no money to pay gas/ elec, and more important no money to feed them or their kids if they have them. The free school meal has 4 bottles of water 2 carrots, 4 slices of cheese, tin of beans, half a pepper, and one loaf of bread. ?
So news night now knows that person who think they may have covid , will not go to be tested in fear of being told to stop at home, ( and they can't afford to) so they go to work. So what choice do they have? A big fat ZERO.
The basic reason it failed was because there were simply too many cases for it to handle.
It was also obvious that regardless of the lack of benefits, too many people were going to shy away from self isolation.
But in any case, the way this virus works, unless you have regular testing of people without symptoms, you have no chance of controlling it
T&T can't really work in a Libertarian society like ours because the necessary measures are unpalatable to the population and the government is unwilling to go down the route to dystopia. The Chinese had a system early on that did demonstrate how it could work but they can take the measures necessary, we cannot.
Sorry, I'm not sure what was promised there? Were people told they would get extra money if they had to isolate? I'm genuinely asking as I haven't seen that. Aren't they being covered by Sick leave or Universal Credit?
I'm going to just C&P what I put on a previous thread... from experience...
//but as far as the T&T system goes... it's pointless. My daughter got tested positive on a Monday and told me straight away (we live together). It wasn't until the Friday, when T&T decided to let me know there was someone with covid in my house//
It can work if you have a limited number of cases.
As I understand it, there was a system in place involving local testers, back when the virus hadn't really got a hold.
That might have helped but the government canned it.
Of course, we then had the high-profile roll out of an "app" to go with the already doomed manual, after several false starts, and when it was far too late.
So those measures helped a bit, but the involvement of government + outsourced IT was simply the death knell for any serious attack.
TTT, It was proved very early on that it wouldn't work in the hands of a private company. Local Health authorities were crying out to do the job themselves. And we all know why government left it in the hands of a private company, opposed to paying local HA.
I think lack of benefits is a side issue.
There were simply too many cases. Not much point giving people money to stay at home if it does no good.
In fact that maybe was a bullet dodged.
If people were in work and not furloughed, and had to self isolate, did they have their wages stopped? Or was that just the illegal sweat shop workers?
//4 bottles of water 2 carrots, 4 slices of cheese, tin of beans, half a pepper, and one loaf of bread.//
Disgraceful. Where is the couscous, quinoa, organic noodles, fair trade coffee beans, soda bread and muesli?
Pixie13.08 One good example they highlighted last night, was the £500 one off payment. It appears that this is only made to people already on benefits. That to me don't make any sense, thats like saying only people on benefits are going to catch covid.
TC, thanks- I hadn't heard about that. Maybe the assumption is that anyone not needing benefits, is going to be paid from somewhere else? Either employers, grants, or savings?