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BRITAIN is aiming to set up mass tracing for EVERYONE who has had contact with coronavirus sufferers within weeks - which could help lift the lockdown.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today that ministers want to ramp up measures again to be able to track everyone who has got the virus.
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The measures, known as mass contact tracing, were in place during the early stages of the virus spreading in the UK, but were abandoned after the numbers became too great.
It involved staff getting in touch with every person the infected Brit had come into contact with, so they could make sure they isolate and get medical help if needed.
However, other states including Germany have continued with policies of mass testing and mass tracing the public - and have had fewer deaths so far.
Mr Hancock said today in the House of Commons: "Our goal is to get to the point where we can test, track and trace everybody who needs it."
And he added: "What we also need is mass contract tracing as we bring the rate of transmission down and the rate of testing up.
"So that everybody who tests positive, we can contact all the people they have been in contact with, make sure they get access to support and they know what to do.
"That way we can control this virus with fewer of the very extraordinary social distancing measures that have been in place."
Britain's lockdown has been in place for four weeks, with another two to come at least.
But the Health Secretary said that any mass tracing wasn't tied to decisions on whether to continue with lockdown rules.
Ministers by law have to review the lockdown measures every three weeks.
Mr Hancock also revealed today:
- Britain is currently "at the peak" of the virus at the moment
- 15 care workers have sadly died from Covid-19
- Parts of the NHS which closed to deal with the virus will soon reopen as the number of cases drops
- Anyone who gets seriously ill - such as having a suspected heart attack or stroke - must go to hospital to get critical help
Ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt asked whether mass tracing could come into play in the next two weeks - leading to a partial lifting of the lockdown within the next fortnight.
And he called for No10 to appoint a special tsar with business experience to build a new army of contact chasers.
Mr Hunt told The Sun: “The lesson from testing is that centralised structures can be cumbersome.
“If the Cabinet want to lift the lockdown, the only safe way to do so is through mass testing and contact chasing. The clock is ticking.”
Mr Hancock replied: "We are ramping up testing capacity and contact tracing.
"In a matter of weeks we will have it ready to make sure that we can use that as and when the incidents of transmission comes down."
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Germany's contact-tracing app is almost ready too, it was reported this week.
And thousands of contact tracers are still frantically working to identify the spread of the virus across the country.
Their numbers are significantly lower than in Britain - with 148,000 cases and around 5,000 deaths.
The World Health Organisation has stressed that mass testing is the best way to deal with the virus' spread.
An NHS app for the UK is also in beta testing, which will ask users to track who they have been in contact with, to help locate the spread of new cases.
But it will only be possible to use tracing if the number of cases falls to a manageable level.
Downing Street has confirmed it is recruiting an army of tracers to try and get staff in place as testing ramps up.
Meanwhile, Mr Hancock warned Brits that if they are ill, they MUST go to hospital to get much-needed care.
"We want to reopen the NHS to people with non coronavirus symptoms and patients with non corona conditions safely and carefully, as soon as its able to do so.
"They should come forward.
"If you think you might have a lump that might be a cancer, you should come forward now you will be safely and carefully treated in the NHS."
Surgeries and other treatments might be able to restart in the coming weeks, he said.
"As we reach the peak of the virus means we can now start to reopen the NHS," Mr Hancock said.
"Part of that is encouraging people to seek NHS treatment when they need it."
And the Health Secretary revealed today for the first time that 15 care home workers have died in the fight against the virus.
Dominic Raab had just hours earlier refused to answer how many had sadly passed away thanks to Covid-19.
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