Despite a budget of £37 billion over two years “NHS” Test and Trace is having a negligible effect on reducing infections. Only one in five are fully isolating when they have symptoms.
Around 12 million workers still have no occupational sick pay and have to rely on Statutory Sick Pay of just £95.85 a week.
An isolation service should ensure that workers are not losing any income due to isolation. Germany has a scheme that allows all workers to isolate on full pay for up to six weeks.
Practical support could be offered. In New York residents who need to isolate access medication and grocery collection.
Alternative hotel quarantining should be an option for people in overcrowded accommodation. Schemes like this in the US and South Korea have been shown to reduce infection rates.
People who isolate should be celebrated for their contribution to the collective effort.
And all migrants should be granted “leave to remain” to reduce the fear of accessing isolation support and other health services.
An isolation system on these lines would cost a lot of money, but £37 billion is currently being wasted on a system that does not reduce infection rates and has failed to prevent two lockdowns.
• Abridged from safeandequal.org
