The COVID Diaries – 61 28th May
The UK’s contact tracing system was due to launch next Monday, but was suddenly brought forward to this morning when it was then plunged into chaos with many staff unable to access the system. The government has also admitted that it will not be fully operational until the end of June.
The official reason for the early launch was to build confidence among parents and teachers ahead of the reopening of primary schools next Monday. However, many believe this was a desperate attempt by Boris Johnson to push the Dominic Cummings scandal off the news headlines.
This looks highly probable as there are several indications the whole thing has been introduced in a rush before it is ready: as well as NHS staff not being able to log into the computer system, doctors also said they had not been briefed and learned the details only when they watched last night’s Downing Street press conference.