Coronavirus: Keep a diary to make COVID-19 contact tracing easier, baroness suggests
A Tory peer says keeping a log of everyone you meet would help trace contacts if you get the virus.
Thursday 14 May 2020 22:39, UK
A member of the House of Lords has suggested a simple, non-technological way of combating coronavirus.
Conservative Baroness Rawlings urged people to keep a diary of those they meet, making it easier to trace contacts if they contract COVID-19.
The former nurse and ex-chairman of King's College London Council made the comments during a Lords session held online.
Lady Rawlings urged ministers to consider "encouraging people to keep a daily diary of everyone they meet, wherever they go outside their home, so that should they fall ill with COVID-19 it would be a simple, easy way to trace the source for further testing".
Her idea received backing from health minister Lord Bethell, who said personal tracing had a "powerful role" to play in isolating those with coronavirus.
He added: "It's going to be the responsibility of everyone in the community, not just digital apps and central databases, in order to defeat this virus."
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Liberal Democrat Lord Hussain urged the government to prioritise NHS staff from black and minority ethnic communities (BAME) for frequent coronavirus testing.
He said they were "suffering disproportionately" with COVID-19 because many work on the frontline as doctors, nurses and care workers.
Lord Bethell paid tribute to the "courage and bravery" of BAME frontline staff.
"We owe them a huge debt," he said.