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Only one in ten stays home for two weeks when told to self-isolate, Sage documents reveal
- Of those who were in contact with positive Covid cases, 10.9% were isolated for 14 days.
- Data collected from a sample of 31,000 people between March 2 and August 5
- 65 percent said they intended to self-quarantine if they received a test and trace alert.
Only one in 10 stays home for two weeks after being told by NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate, documents from Sage revealed yesterday.
Of those who were told they had been in close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19, only 10.9 percent became isolated for the next 14 days.
The alarming numbers undermine the premise of the Test and Trace system, which aims to prevent the spread of the virus.
The alarming figures, which only 10.9 percent would isolate for 14 days, undermine the premise of the Test and Trace system, which aims to prevent the spread of the virus (stock image used)
And they were released a day after Boris Johnson said he ‘shares people’s frustrations’ with the service and needs improvement.
The main reasons people gave for not properly self-quarantining were not developing symptoms, not thinking that it was necessary to stay away from people outside the home, or going to stores to buy food.
The figures were revealed in documents from Sage, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
The study, conducted by King’s College London, was discussed at its September meeting.
The researchers collected data from a sample of 31,000 people between March 2 and August 5.
Based on responses to an online questionnaire, the team found that only one in ten said they had been isolated for two weeks when instructed to do so by the test and trace scheme.
This is much lower than the 65 percent who said they intended to self-quarantine if they received the alert.
Another reason they gave for leaving their homes was having a dependent child at home, the survey revealed.
The study also found that 23.9 percent said they would not share details of their close contacts with the tracking service if they test positive for Covid-19.
The main reasons why people were not properly quarantined were not developing symptoms or not thinking that it was necessary to stay away from those outside (stock image used)
The main reasons for this were not believing that the system was effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus and not knowing if their data would be safe or confidential.
The survey also found that more than half of the sample were unable to identify key coronavirus symptoms and that fewer than one in five said they stayed home if they developed symptoms.
Dr Michael Head, University of Southampton, said: “This highlights a worryingly low level of adherence to the guidance on self-isolation.”
He added that the government should provide “practical and financial support to encourage people to stay at home.”
