{"id":133074,"date":"2021-07-22T22:06:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=133074"},"modified":"2021-07-22T22:06:54","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:06:54","slug":"nhs-covid-app-sends-record-618903-brits-into-isolation-with-pings-in-one-week-as-coronavirus-chaos-gets-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/world-news\/nhs-covid-app-sends-record-618903-brits-into-isolation-with-pings-in-one-week-as-coronavirus-chaos-gets-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS Covid app sends record 618,903 Brits into isolation with pings in ONE WEEK as coronavirus chaos gets worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

OVER 600,000 Brits were told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 App in a WEEK, according to NHS figures.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A record 618,903 alerts were sent to users of the app in England and Wales in the week up to July 14 as the \u201cpingdemic\u201d continues to cause havoc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The NHS Covid-19 App, which "pings" anyone who has been within 2 metres of an infectious person for more than 15 minutes, has caused severe disruption to Brits despite lockdown rules ending on Monday. <\/p>\n

Today's figures mark a rise of over 100,000 on the week before, when 530,126 people were alerted by the app. <\/p>\n

Unlike those who are contacted directly by NHS Test and Trace, the app's instruction is only advisory – and self-isolation is not legally enforced.<\/p>\n

Retail bosses last night warned warnings that supermarket shelves could be left empty due to number of staff in self-isolation. <\/p>\n

Iceland boss Richard Walker said he had hired 2,000 temporary workers to cover absences caused by the pingdemic.<\/p>\n

And more than a third of the Dorset Police control room staff are off work after being 'pinged' or showing Covid symptoms. <\/p>\n

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today vowed that the self-isolation rules would be scrapped by August 16. <\/p>\n

He said: "I fully expect that the restrictions will be lifted, that is what we are working towards."<\/p>\n

Mr Kwarteng admitted the Government was "concerned" by photos of bare shelves in supermarkets, but said it wasn't a "universal" problem.<\/p>\n

He told BBC Radio 4: "Shoppers shouldn\u2019t be panicking… I\u2019m not panicking."<\/p>\n

And Mr Kwarteng said a "very narrow" list of sectors whose workers will be exempt from isolation rules will be published later today. <\/p>\n