[Daily Mail]: Boris Johnson yesterday set a ten-day target to deliver a virus tracing system that could allow the lockdown to be eased.
He said a 25,000-strong army of trackers had been recruited to identify the contacts of infected victims and prevent outbreaks.
The Government's scientific advisers insist the system must be in place before any more restrictions are lifted. If the scheme is up and running in time some schools and shops could reopen as early as June 1.
Rules limiting social contact could also be relaxed at that point, with a decision due at the end of next week.
But the lockdown was put in jeopardy yesterday by thousands of sunseekers who flocked to beaches on the hottest day of the year.
Devon and Cornwall Police said roads in some resorts were gridlocked, despite pleas for families to stay away. 'Any decision on the lockdown is conditional on advice that we can move forward without risking a second spike – we are not there yet,' said a Whitehall source.
'Hopefully the test-and-trace system will give people confidence in the measures we are taking.' Just 637 hospital admissions for coronavirus were reported on Tuesday and no new cases at all in London for the day before.
That compares with around 1,000 a day at the peak of the pandemic. Experts cautioned that a lag in recording could see that revised upward however.
The death toll rose by 363 to 35,704 on Tuesday while tests hit a record 177,216. Mr Johnson told the Commons the tracing scheme was almost ready, despite problems with a government app that was meant to help the process.
'We have growing confidence that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world-beating and yes, it will be in place by June 1,' he said....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...
