MP calls for assurances

PEOPLE need assurances that the “test and trace” scheme won’t land them in trouble if they break the law – or have an affair, according to a North East MP.

Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central, said the new scheme would only succeed if people had confidence in it.

That meant giving them assurances that the information gathered about them would not be used for any purpose other than to stop the spread of coronavirus.

She added: “People are not going to honest about their contacts if they think they are going to be criminalised for it.”

Under the new system, anyone who has symptoms will be expected to apply for a test. If the test is positive, they will be contacted by a tracer, who will ask them to identify people they have been in contact with recently.

Those people will then be asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days.