Oxfordshire launches local track and trace system

Councils in Oxfordshire are launching a local contact tracing system to help people who have recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The county and five district councils will work to contact people that the NHS test and trace national system is unable to reach.

But the councils said the local system will not replace the national system which already reaches the large majority of cases.

Instead, they argue it will complement the existing well-established arrangements and will seek to reach people the national system has not managed to reach.

The service will run seven days a week with calls coming from the council using a local (01865) phone number.

Text messages will also be sent to people with mobile phones telling them to expect a call.

‘Our local contact tracing system provides another layer of support to help control COVID-19 in Oxfordshire,’ said the county council’s public health consultant, Adam Briggs.

‘If you are contacted, it will be a locally based person on the other end of the phone. They will talk to you about what you need to do to protect your friends and family whilst isolating, and about what support is available nearby.

‘The overall aim is simple – to limit the transmission of COVID-19. By isolating when you have symptoms, getting a test, and picking up the phone when we call, we will give ourselves an even better chance to #stopthespread.’

Photo Credit – TheDigitalArtist (Pixabay)