MSE News: Been 'pinged' by the NHS Covid app? Martin Lewis explains what support you can get

MSE_Petar

Over 600,000 people in England and Wales were 'pinged' and told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app between 8 and 14 July, new figures show. If you're one of them – or if you're one of 100,000s instructed to self-isolate by NHS Test & Trace, there's a range of financial support you could get, as MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has explained.

Read the full story:
'Been 'pinged' and told to self-isolate by the Covid app or NHS Test & Trace? Martin Lewis explains the financial help you can get'

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jackieblack

Well I, for one, will not be deleting the app. Despite being double jabbed, if there is a chance that I have been in contact with someone who has tested positive I cannot risk taking it to my mother who is undergoing chemotherapy  (I take her in my car to her appointments).  

MattMattMattUK

I have not deleted the app, I still need it to check into venues, I have however disabled contact tracing via the app and it has been that way for months, however if it pinged from a venue then I would likely delete it as it holds no force of law and is an incredibly blunt and largely ineffective system. I also have had both doses of the vaccine and I test daily (lateral flow test every morning, PCR on a Monday as well) so I am far less likely to spread the virus than someone who relies on being "pinged".

Of course the issue is that many people ignore the requirement to isolate even when infected, or when contacted by Test and Trace, the app being overly sensitive does absolutely nothing to help people's compliance. The major issue comes down to personal responsibility, something which the government is pushing heavily, but which the public have shown again and again that they do not have.

lisyloo

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

It's called a contract.
If I accept a lower salary in return for an employer taking the various risks e.g. sickness, then I expect the employer to keep their side of the bargain.
If I was a contractor then yes you take the risk yourself.

Why do you think employers should shirk their responsibilities just because one of the risks they agreed to has become more onerous?

If you take the money side out of it, then it's called caring about others, bother those we know and those we don't in wider society.

lisyloo

briskbeats said:

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

SSP is rubbish- £92 a week. Plus partner and other household members who work can’t afford to have 10-17 days of SSP. Rent/mortgage, bills etc still need to be paid

If those people can't afford the sickness arrangements they currently have, did they not consider insurance? or financial planning?

briskbeats

lisyloo said:

briskbeats said:

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

SSP is rubbish- £92 a week. Plus partner and other household members who work can’t afford to have 10-17 days of SSP. Rent/mortgage, bills etc still need to be paid

If those people can't afford the sickness arrangements they currently have, did they not consider insurance? or financial planning?

Do most insurance companies only pay out after several months of sickness?

lisyloo

briskbeats said:

lisyloo said:

briskbeats said:

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

SSP is rubbish- £92 a week. Plus partner and other household members who work can’t afford to have 10-17 days of SSP. Rent/mortgage, bills etc still need to be paid

If those people can't afford the sickness arrangements they currently have, did they not consider insurance? or financial planning?

Do most insurance companies only pay out after several months of sickness?

It depends on the policy you select.
The shorter the period then the more expensive the policy for sure.
Most people in permanent jobs who get sick pay would line it up with their employer benefits. So for example if they get 13 weeks sick pay then one option would be to get insurance that pays out after 13 weeks.
The alternative would be (for example) to have a 3 month emergency fund in savings and get a policy that pays out after 26 weeks.

The cheapest way to cover for short periods would be "self insurance"
i.e. with average luck you are better off using your own savings than an insurance policy.
The same applies to most household goods.

I mentioned financial planning in the general sense as options other than insurance are often viable
e.g. savings being the obvious one.

But to have no plan whatsoever when as you mentioned people have commitments is not really a good idea.

What would happen if they were sick for reasons other than COVID?
Presumably they'd still be in the same position with rent/mortgage/bills so this isn't a problem that's specific to COVID or self-isolation.
It's a lack of a financial plan that's been highlighted by the pandemic but could have happened due to flu, bad back, cancer etc.

p3ncilsharpener

lisyloo said:

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

It's called a contract.
If I accept a lower salary in return for an employer taking the various risks e.g. sickness, then I expect the employer to keep their side of the bargain.
If I was a contractor then yes you take the risk yourself.

Why do you think employers should shirk their responsibilities just because one of the risks they agreed to has become more onerous?

If you take the money side out of it, then it's called caring about others, bother those we know and those we don't in wider society.

You're not sick though, unless you test positive (and even then it's debatable.)

What do you think is going to change, in terms of vaccine efficacy, between now and August 16th?  Absolutely nothing.

People are increasingly workshy and I've grown increasingly tired of nobody taking responsibility for anything.  The Government doesn't want to take responsibility for it, employers don't and meanwhile, all the workshy idiots are sat at home watching reruns of Judge Judy getting paid their full salaries for doing naff all.

I suppose the BBC "journalists" have something to report on though, seeing as Brexit appears to have largely run its course in terms of newsworthiness.

sheramber

People clamoured for and end to lockdown measures.

Now, they have found out what happens when they are no longer in force.

Hospitality complained about a limit on customers affecting trade,  now they complain at the  lack of staff affecting trade or meaning closing.

Probably not what was anticipated

briskbeats

lisyloo said:

briskbeats said:

lisyloo said:

briskbeats said:

p3ncilsharpener said:

briskbeats said:

Delete the app. It’s destroying companies, such as some shops having to close, disrupting deliveries etc.

I was told that the app should not be used by people living in flats. Bluetooth doesn’t detect levels. Plus the other week, I could pick up the Bluetooth devices that my neighbour who lives below me. 

Hope Boris and co push forward the date for double jabbed people not needing to self isolate - which is currently 16th Aug.

People won't delete it as long as they're paid their full salaries for self isolating.

If I ran any of these companies screaming for staff I'd pay them, at most, SSP for self-isolating.  Watch them come flooding back when the gravy train dries up.

SSP is rubbish- £92 a week. Plus partner and other household members who work can’t afford to have 10-17 days of SSP. Rent/mortgage, bills etc still need to be paid

If those people can't afford the sickness arrangements they currently have, did they not consider insurance? or financial planning?

Do most insurance companies only pay out after several months of sickness?

It depends on the policy you select.
The shorter the period then the more expensive the policy for sure.
Most people in permanent jobs who get sick pay would line it up with their employer benefits. So for example if they get 13 weeks sick pay then one option would be to get insurance that pays out after 13 weeks.
The alternative would be (for example) to have a 3 month emergency fund in savings and get a policy that pays out after 26 weeks.

The cheapest way to cover for short periods would be "self insurance"
i.e. with average luck you are better off using your own savings than an insurance policy.
The same applies to most household goods.

I mentioned financial planning in the general sense as options other than insurance are often viable
e.g. savings being the obvious one.

But to have no plan whatsoever when as you mentioned people have commitments is not really a good idea.

What would happen if they were sick for reasons other than COVID?
Presumably they'd still be in the same position with rent/mortgage/bills so this isn't a problem that's specific to COVID or self-isolation.
It's a lack of a financial plan that's been highlighted by the pandemic but could have happened due to flu, bad back, cancer etc.

With Covid, if one person in household tests positive for it, the others in the household have to self isolate too. With other illnesses, 99% of the time, its just the ill person off work and the others can work as per normal.

MattMattMattUK

sheramber said:

People clamoured for and end to lockdown measures.

Now, they have found out what happens when they are no longer in force.

Hospitality complained about a limit on customers affecting trade,  now they complain at the  lack of staff affecting trade or meaning closing.

Probably not what was anticipated

Well to be fair to the hospitality trade, they were told that all legal restrictions would be lifted, however they have not been lifted. Track and Trace is still in force, pinging has gone haywire (which is why they are telling their staff to delete the app or turn off contact tracing) and the people being told to isolate is out of control. 

If there was no test and trace and isolation was only for the infected, or if daily testing was allowed rather than isolation then it would not be a problem. The issue is the excessive level of people being told isolate. When the best estimates I can find is that the proportion of people told to isolate who then test positive for Covid is only a few percent higher than the general population for their area it does appear that the whole ping/track and trace system is so that the government are seen to be doing something, even though that thing is largely pointless.