Thousands more workers in England will not have to enter quarantine if they are a close contact of a Covid-19 case, the government has said.
This comes amid increasing concern over disruption caused by the “pingdemic”.
Train drivers, lorry drivers, police officers and border officials are now able to join a daily testing initiative, meaning they can continue working if they receive an alert – known as a “ping”.
The expanded scheme comes a day after the government made supermarket depot and food factory workers exempt from self-isolation rules to avoid food shortages.
Several sectors have complained of staff shortages in recent days.
Supermarkets have warned shoppers may find some products are in low supply, as record numbers of staff are told to self-isolate.
About 608,000 contact tracing alerts were sent from the UK's National Health Service Covid-19 app in the week to 15 July – a record high.
On top of 500 testing sites set up at food factories, a further 100 will be established for the transport and freight industry, allowing lorry and train drivers to keep working if they test negative.
There will also be 100 testing sites for emergency services and border officials, including frontline police officers and firefighters.
“Daily contact testing of workers in these critical sectors will help to minimise any disruption caused by rising cases in the coming weeks, while ensuring staff are not put at risk," Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.
Self-isolation rules for fully vaccinated people are due to end in England on August 16.
The government has been reluctant to bring this date forward to avoid a further rise to the infection rate.
“We have to keep a very close eye on hospitalisations,” Environment Secretary George Eustice said on Friday.
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the “crucial summer months” for many businesses were being put in jeopardy by staff shortages.
“Many hospitality businesses, such as pubs and restaurants, are already struggling with staff shortages,” he said.
“These shortages have been exacerbated, in some cases leading to temporary closure, by large numbers of employees being simultaneously advised to isolate by the NHS Covid app.”
He called on the government to replace self-isolation with daily testing for fully vaccinated workers.
“It is vital that both employers and employees retain faith in the NHS Covid-19 app to help prevent the spread of the virus and further damage to London’s economy, and that is why we hope you will give urgent consideration to our request,” he said, writing on behalf of the London Covid Business Forum.
Meanwhile, scientists have expressed optimism that daily Covid-19 figures from the last few days could be an “early sign” that the infection rate may be falling.
Prof Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, cautioned that it may be a “false peak”.
“Of course that change on Monday, that big reopening, has not yet shown up in the data,” he told BBC’s Radio 4 on Saturday.
“So I think the next week or two is going to be crucial to know if this is genuinely a slowdown of a potential peak, or if we've got more transmission to come.”
A further 36,389 people tested positive with another 64 deaths recorded on Friday.
Prof Kucharski predicted that alerts from the Covid app would remain high, saying “there’s an awful lot of Covid out there”.
“If you go out and have contacts, it's very likely you'll be near someone who has the virus,” he said.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Quick%20facts
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
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You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
