Test and Trace UK App

The Test and Trace UK Mobile App is here – but how can using tech help in the battle against Covid-19?

Contact tracing is simply used to log interactions with others, with the aim being to identify any situations where the user has unknowingly come in to contact with someone who later tests positive with Covid-19.

By scanning QR codes of the public places you visit, the contact tracing system can alert you if you’ve been in close proximity to someone who has later tested positive for Covid-19. It will also give information on the required isolation period. People should isolate, whether they are ill or not. And it is now illegal for people not to self-isolate once they’ve been contacted by Test and Trace. The app, on the other hand, is for your own guidance and your details are never passed from app to test and trace staff. So, if you choose to ignore the apps alerts, there is no way of test and trace staff contacting you.

To make the app work it is important to keep the device you’ve installed it on close by. The app uses Bluetooth technology to identify nearby devices also using the app. It estimates the distance between you and the other device and ranks that interaction. If it is calculated to be a risk, and if that user proceeds to take a positive test in the allocated time frame, you’ll get an alert. The main benefit is that if you come in to contact with strangers who then test positive, you can still be notified.

For those worried about their personal data - the app has been designed to use as little information as possible. The app will hold details of where you have visited (if you’ve scanned a QR code), but this is not shared with ANYONE. The app allocates unique reference numbers and you are only ever known by those numbers. The alerting system is completely anonymous too – so you will not be told who you’ve been in contact with that has contracted the virus. And conversely, if you have contracted the virus the people being alerted will not know any of your details.

Businesses are legally required to take customers' contact details, so they can be traced if there is an outbreak. They can be fined up to £10,000 if they do not do this. This method of data gathering is NOT anonymous. And if a positive case is later confirmed at that place, that’s when the test and trace staff may contact you personally to advise you to isolate. If you choose to ignore their isolation advice, you may then be liable for a fine.

The app is available to download now for Android and iPhone. It’s nice and easy to install, but if you need a hand downloading, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.