London- A new NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app should be in place by the end of the month, a minister said.
According to business minister Nadhir Zahawi, the app – which was trialled in the Isle of Wight – will “be running as soon as we think it is robust”.
Last week new test and trace system were launched in England and Scotland – but without the app due to delays. An NHS boss said the wider scheme would be imperfect at first but “world-class” by the autumn.
The NHS app – which will automatically alert people – started being trialed on the Isle of Wight in early May. The government said then it hoped it would be launched nationwide by the middle of May.
Meanwhile, doctors have urged the government to make face coverings compulsory in all places where social distancing is not possible, not just on public transport.
Passengers on public transport in England must wear a covering from 15 June, said the government on Thursday.
