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The government has recruited more than 17,000 contact tracers and will introduce a test, track and isolate scheme by the end of May, Michael Gove has said.
The Cabinet Office minister praised the “energetic and determined” health secretary Matt Hancock for coming close to hitting his target to recruit 18,000 tracers by mid-May.
It marks a remarkable turnaround after it emerged that the government had only recruited 1,500 tracers earlier this week.
The tracers are set to play a key role in a mass programme of testing, tracking and isolating people with Covid-19 to combat its spread and give the government space to further lift the lockdown.
Gove told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News: “In the past, people have seen Matt and the government set ambitious targets, and they said ‘ooh the target on testing, that won’t be met’ - Matt met that target.
“It is now the case that more than 17,000 people have been recruited for contact tracing.
“So we’re on course to meet that target.”
Asked when a test, track and tracing scheme will be up and running, Gove replied: “By the end of this month.”
Earlier, shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said introducing a test, trace and isolate programme would help ease teachers’ anxiety about returning to school.
It came amid fears that plans to start the phased reopening of primary schools from next month, as part of the easing of the coronavirus lockdown in the country, may be scuppered if teaching unions refuse to cooperate.
Talks on Friday between union representatives and government scientific advisers, intended to provide assurance about the government’s proposals to enable children to return safely, ended with union leaders saying it had raised more questions than answers.
Reeves told Ridge: “This isn’t just about schools, this is about wider issues around easing some of the lockdown restrictions.
“But the anxiety teachers and parents face would be a lot less if we had that test, trace and isolate strategy in place.
“We want that to be up and running to ease the whole range of the lockdown restrictions.
Reeves said the government has two weeks to put in place the test and trace approach, hold talks with the relevant parties and publish the science before schools are due to welcome more pupils through their gates.
She added: “The government has got a lot more work to do to give that confidence that it’ll be safe to have more children coming into school in two weeks’ time.”