Shapps says NHS Covid app may change as restrictions ease

BRITAIN'S transport secretary Grant Shapps said NHS Covid contact tracing app needs to change, especially its sensitivity needs to be reduced as coronavirus restrictions are being eased by the country.

Shapps added with 1m-plus rule ending on July 19, the sensitivity of the app needs to change. Currently the app at 2m or less detects the distance between users and the duration of time spent in close proximity.

Under present guidelines, those who receive an alert are asked to stay at home for up to 10 days. However, with restrictions ending on July 19, the requirement to self-isolate for those having had both doses of vaccines will stop on August 16 and that would raise concerns for more people being asked to isolate.

Shapps told BBC Breakfast: "As our restrictions change, of course the app needs to change. Things like replacing the 1m-plus rule on 19 July might well lead to a review of the way the app itself needs to function."

He stressed the importance of the app and added there were still large numbers of people downloading it and said he had not seen any data showing people were deleting it.

According to the BBC, the most recent figures for the last week of June show an extra 300,000 downloads, bringing the total to more than 26 million.

"It's in our interests as a society to carry on doing the things that protect each other," Shapps was quoted as saying.