The government has only "just started" recruiting 18,000 people for its "test, track and trace" scheme to control coronavirus, a minister confessed today.
The army of 'contact tracers' were originally meant to start in mid-May - nipping any new outbreaks in the bud as lockdown is eased.
The 15,000 call handlers and 3,000 clinical experts will work alongside a new NHS app, which will tell you if you've come in close contact with Covid-19.
On Tuesday Downing Street assured reporters all 18,000 contact tracers would be in place next week. But today a Cabinet minister said only 15,000 applications have been received in total so far - and only 1,500 signed up as of earlier this week.