The opening and closing of pubs, restaurants, schools, colleges and universities came under the spotlight this afternoon as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealed the shortcomings of the Test and Trace system that has to be working properly in order to get society safely back to even the new normality.
A series of slides were displayed showing that only 79% of those who tested positive for coronavirus could be reached nationally, and, of those who were reached, 20% didn't give any contacts...'In combination that means that we don't have any contacts identified for 37% of those tested positive'...
In Greater Manchester itself, National NHS Test and Trace didn't reach 47% of contacts, although the Greater Manchester team reached 99%. For Salford, 768 contacts were identified by the national team but only 437, or 57%, could be reached. 601 Salford contacts identified by the Greater Manchester team were all reached. Although why there are two systems in place is strange in itself.*
After explaining that the NHS faces one of the most difficult periods in its 72 year old history, Andy Burnham said that the NHS Test and Trace system had to be at the "very top of its game...and as we sit here today I'm afraid we're not able to say that it is...We've got to improve those figures at a national level."
Another slide quoted Dominic Harrison, Director of Health at Blackburn with Darwen ..."The key reason residents are reluctant to respond to contact tracing may be fear of loss of income if they or their family, or people they have been in contact with, have to self-isolate..."
Andy Burnham and each speaker at this afternoon's press conference, from the world of business and trade unions as well as politics, underlined the point...
"Many people simply cannot afford to take two weeks off work without being paid" Burnham explained "And many people are in a position where they won't be paid, and may even fear losing their job; and for those who have access to Statutory Sick Pay, it's nowhere near enough to live on. And we think this is a key reason behind the poor performance of the national NHS Test and Trace system; people's inability to self-isolate because of the financial impact it will have on them.
"...We believe we need to give all employees Time Out To Help Out" he added "That means the ability to agree to a request from the NHS Test and Trace system to self-isolate the minute they get it without any fear that they won't be able to pay their bills, to feed their kids or end up in debt. If we don't fix this we are not going to have a system that properly works."
Burnham said that employers should carry on paying wages and claim that money back from the Government, and those who are self employed should be able to claim for loss of earnings in the same way as the jury service system works.
He called a request to self-isolate a "civic duty" and added that people should be supported to do it, before it impacts "our poorest communities".
Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC, underlined the point, calling it "blatant blue collar discrimination", arguing that most people in blue collar jobs can't work from home, and that, while Track and Trace is vital to controlling the pandemic, "it won't work as long as those who are told to self-isolate are facing the invidious choice of doing the right thing for public health or taking a huge hit to their pay packet..."
Lynne Morris, from North West UNISON, one of five big trade unions backing the campaign (the others are GMB, Usdaw, Unite and CWU), told of a survey of 2,000 people working in the care sector, of which 80% said they would not be able to self-isolate for financial reasons...
Lou Cordwell, Co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, representing local businesses, said that there is a "universal commitment to doing the right thing by employees" and that it backed the initiative.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, added his backing, saying that people were having to "choose between putting food on the table or protecting their community". For those in low pay and insecure work, self isolation "could push them into destitution, into arrears with rent and all sorts of things, especially if they don't qualify for the meagre pittance that is Statutory Sick Pay or if they are paid weekly as many are...We shouldn't be putting people in that situation...
"The Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, actually admitted that he himself couldn't live on Statutory Sick Pay" Rotheram added "So why would the Government ask people to live on SSP or some people on absolutely nothing when they are doing what has been described as their 'civic duty'"
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham, in answer to a press question, railed against pub and restaurants flouting regulations and widespread breaches as "another gap in our defences", saying that there would be more "targeted enforcement"...using mystery shoppers and the health and safety executive in that process.
"The message is a pretty simple one to the hospitality industry...if they don't [follow regulations] they will have to close again" he said "With schools re-opening and all the challenges that poses, if we can't rely on colleagues in hospitality to do the right thing, then I'm afraid there will be a very difficult decision to be made further down the line, so it's in their own interests to do the right thing. We need to see a major improvement..."
With school re-opening just three weeks away, Burnham added that if the Test and Trace system is not fixed "we will not be re-opening schools in the safest way that we possibly can...and that it will be schools in the poorest communities that will be most at risk...
"This is about people's health and it has to come first" he explained, making comparisons with schemes the Government has found money to fund like Eat Out To Help Out...Even the Government's own head of NHS Test and Trace has identified the issue of workers not being able to afford to self-isolate, he added.
On people not following the current restrictions in Greater Manchester, Burnham traced it back to a couple of months ago when people had been "lulled into a false sense of security" with "mixed messages" like 'Get down to the pub' and Eat Out To Help Out...
"Everyone's got to get their eye back on the ball here" he implored "It is serious...If it's a choice between schools staying open and the pubs staying open, then there isn't really a choice – schools stay open, it's as simple as that...If we don't see a change then I think we are going to have to consider restrictions on hospitality, otherwise we are going to see too much virus circulating in the community..."
To see the Time Out To Help Out website and petition – click here
Update: 11th August: The Government announces integration of local and National Test and Trace system - see here
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