Andy Richardson: Tracing a familiar route

Privacy regulations have been breached, patients’ confidential data has been shared online, safeguards are absent and Government lawyers accept adequate certification is not in place. It was supposed to be by May 28 but is still not there.

Still, it’s not as though the Government has bought a bunch of dodgy swabs that don’t provide accurate results. Oh, hang on. They have. And that’s put the test and trace programme back further because the tests aren’t correct.

Mind you, at least towns that really, really need test and trace NOW are able to utilise it to prevent localised outbreaks.

Take Blackburn, for instance, which is trying not to become The New Leicester – except, of course, when it comes to football. Oh, it appears that’s not working either. More than half the contacts named by infected residents can’t be reached, which means they’re continuing to pass on the infection to unsuspecting others.

More Covid-19 coverage:

• Updates from across the Black Country & Staffordshire

• Updates from across Shropshire & Mid Wales

Back in May, Boris Johnson promised a world beating test and trace service –something nations like Germany, New Zealand and South Korea established at the start of their outbreak. We’re about 16 weeks in and we still can’t match the standards of other advanced nations, which means we’re falling further and further behind in the race to eliminate Covid-19.

Still, at least lockdown isn’t having a detrimental effect on the nation. Oh, hang on, another error. Some 200,000 excess deaths may be caused by lockdown – that’s 25,000 in the first six months and the rest in the long term. Suicides are predicted to have risen by 500 during the first wave and that figure may rise to 12,000 per year, because of the recession.

Let’s not mention the backlogs as passports, driving licences, operations, the administration of wills and the registration of births all fall behind.

We’re instructed to go back to work by Boris; though studies by some of the world’s biggest corporations show that a mixed approach of home-work and in-office work is the best solution. Home-working increases productivity for some while risks of infection are lower.

Still, with so many issues on the Government’s plate, at least they’re not picking a fight with the global superpower that is China. Oh, hang on ...