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Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline has told staff to turn off the contact tracing feature that allows the NHS ‘test and trace app to monitor the spread of Covid-19 while you are at work in case it is “disruptive” to customers. business, The Guardian has learned.
GSK, which is among the companies working on a vaccine for Covid-19, sent the instruction to employees in its research and development labs and some of its manufacturing sites.
He told them to turn off contact tracing, which uses Bluetooth to detect whether users have been around someone who has tested positive for the disease.
Data collected through contact tracing is considered an integral part of the government’s efforts to monitor and control the spread of the virus. But GSK told some of its 16,000 UK employees that its measures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 were so safe that they did not need to use it while working.
He said that the main reason for the instruction was that it enforces a policy of ensuring that personnel stay within 2 meters of each other at all times.
“Consequently, if our site risk assessment is followed, there should be no close contact in our R&D department. [research and development] site, ”he said.
GSK acknowledged that there may be times when personnel approach, but said it had “implemented control measures to ensure safety in these situations.”
He said the app would not recognize these additional measures and could trigger the recording of a contact where “in effect” the risk had been reduced.
“Using the above scenario, if one of the people later tests positive, the contacts, in this case another site employee, could be asked to self-isolate, which can be detrimental to the business But it can also trigger a false positive in the NHS test and trace system, ”GSK told staff.
The message, seen by The Guardian, also suggested that a fake contact could be recorded if staff left the app on while their phone was in a locker, purse or coat.
Government guidelines allow you to disable contact tracing while phones are being stored. But under a heading marked “required,” the company said that staff should disable the app’s contact tracing feature at all times after arriving at work.
“You can turn it back on when you leave the site,” they were told.
A GSK spokesperson said the company believed its instructions complied with government guidelines.
“The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we have implemented strict Covid protection measures at all of our sites,” the spokesperson said.
“Our pharmaceutical laboratories and manufacturing plants are highly controlled environments and operate in accordance with the highest security and Covid-19 protection protocols established by the government.
“These environments are different from the everyday situations where most people will use the NHS Covid-19 app, so we have issued some specific advice for employees working at these sites regarding the use of certain aspects of the application, while on the site. This is in line with the government’s advice on how to use the app. “
Guidance on how to use NHS testing and tracing at work provides exemptions, including in healthcare settings and in settings where staff are protected by an acrylic screen or its equivalent.
GSK did not say which of the exemptions it believes apply to its sites.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Welfare said: “We want as many people to download and use the app as possible and it is important to use the NHS Covid-19 app at all times, unless specific situations occur that are stated in our guide “.
The NHS ‘test-and-trace app was delayed but launched in September. Powered by Google and Apple, it alerts users if they have been within 2 meters for more than 15 minutes of someone who has tested positive and who also has the app. Other functions allow the user to register at a place that displays a QR barcode, instead of having to give their details to the staff.
The user can book a test and will be advised on self-isolation if necessary, including a daily countdown to know when they can leave home again.
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