The meat industry warns that food supplies may run out.
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| [COVID-19 in UK] |
On Thursday, Britain's retailers, wholesalers, and hauliers struggled to keep food and fuel supply constant after an official health app advised hundreds of thousands of employees to isolate after coming into contact with someone who had COVID-19.
Empty grocery shelves were shown on the front pages of British newspapers. Food goods were largely accessible in London shops, according to Reuters correspondents, however there were occasional shortages of bottled water, soft drinks, and some salad and meat products.
Customers will typically be able to locate the items they desire, though not every brand, according to Sainsbury's (SBRY.L), Britain's second-largest grocery business while being interviewed by Reuters.
In a country of 67 million people, an estimated 1.73 million individuals were isolated as of July 20. A combination of increasing illnesses and greater population mobility drove the peak. The United Kingdom saw the biggest spike in infections anywhere in the world the weekend before most restrictions were lifted, with cases surpassing 50,000 per day.
What is Pingdemic?
Self-isolation is at an all-time high among those who have been into touch with an infected person, the majority of whom have been "pinged" by the National Health Service's contact-tracing app. The "pingdemic," as it's been nicknamed, has wreaked havoc on companies and essential services, threatening to derail efforts to rebuild an economy still reeling from the worst downturn in 300 years.
In the United Kingdom, contact tracing is mostly done using the National Health Service's "Covid-19 app," which people may download to their cellphones. If a user tests positive for the coronavirus and consents, the app utilizes Bluetooth technology to identify other users who were in close proximity to the sick individual for long enough to be at risk in the preceding days. The software then alerts such individuals and requests that they self-isolate for 10 days.
Isolation is only required while using the old-fashioned approach, not when using the app. In any event, downloading the app is optional, and thousands of users have uninstalled it since the start of the "pingdemic" to avoid being isolated. According to complaints, the app is excessively sensitive, recognizing neighbors as contacts across home walls, for example. Another issue is that even if users are completely vaccinated, they are need to isolate. Only on August 16 will this rule be removed.
The "pingdemic," in which individuals were instructed to isolate for 10 days by the contact-tracing app, has tainted Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wager that he could reopen England's economy since so many people had been vaccinated.
©Reuters, The Washington Post