UK to pack 6 funnel contacts, reports on boredom, quiz, Netflix

• The UK government has said it fired 6,000 people from its test and trace coronavirus contact detection program.
• Tracers are hired to call people and alert them if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• But in recent weeks, tracers have told the British media that they are bored, make very few calls, and are paid to sit around.
• One told the BBC in June: “I was literally on the system, refurbishing the system and entertaining myself while watching Netflix.”
• The health department said remaining tracers will work with local authorities, who can better apply local knowledge and “provide a more tailored service.”
• Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.

The UK fired 6,000 employees on its contact tracing schedule following numerous reports that employees spent weeks following Netflix and conducting interviews.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced Monday that the number of tracers on August 24 will drop from 18,000 to 12,000.

The scheme had worked on a national scale, but the remaining 12,000 tracers will now be told to target specific local areas and work with local authorities to “provide a more tailored service,” the department said.

Boris Johnson had announced on May 20 that a ‘world-beat’ track-and-trace system would be rolled out on June 1 to identify people who came in contact with those who tested positive for COVID-19.

But in recent weeks, a number of reports in the British press have detailed how many of the workers to call on Britons has done very little.

A clinician who worked as a tracer told the BBC on June 3 that her boss had given her no one to call, despite her working on the schedule for more than a week.

“I did not contact anyone. I did not contact supervisors. I was literally on the system, repairing the system and entertaining myself while watching Netflix,” the person said.

Another contract tracker, hired for the scheme by contractor Sitel, told The Guardian last week that they had made only a handful of interviews.

“I have heard of tracers claiming to be sitting in the garden and having a barbecue so they can stay logged in and clock the hours,” the person said.

“They are not alone – there are hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories.”

A second contractor, hired by the company Intelling to work out the government contract, told the newspaper: “We could easily make 30 calls a day.”

“I worked hundreds of hours and made only a handful of calls, and all of them went to voicemail.”

“It’s been very frustrating, and I’m struggling with my morale because I’m so angry [public] money, “said the person.

“They are telling us our new week is getting busier and busier, and at first you believe that, but over time the reality is that I may never make a real call, and I will pay thousands of pounds through the government. That is deep frustrating if you want to help. “

Screenshots of the tracers’ internal messaging service, shared with MailOnline, also show staff chatting about popular TV shows and holiday plans.

“People are talking about Netflix, where they want to go on vacation. There are Xbox groups, planning nights out. You name it,” said the unnamed whistleblower who provided the photos.

“I think the fact that conversations have diverged for team leaders talking about how they want to go to Disney is proof of how busy they are.”

“All Boris [Johnson] has done has hired thousands of people so he can say ‘we have this’, but you have done thousands of people nothing,’ they said.

During the training process, contractors complained about incorrect classes in which no one knew where they were hired.

Some said that even if they are engaged, they can not log in to the system to start their work.

When asked to comment on the claims made by tracers, the Heath and Social Care Business Insider department sent a copy of Monday’s announcement.

The UK had plans to roll out a land-and-trace app nationwide, but scrapped the idea in June.