Covid app to ping less

App updated

The NHS Covid app has been updated to try and reduce the numbers of people self-isolating. It’ll now only ping you if you’ve had contact in the 2 days before someone tests positive for coronavirus. It used to be 5 days. The update took effect yesterday, amid rumours of many people deleting the app to avoid being pinged. A record 6850,000 were told to isolate in the week of the 21st July.

Office perks

Young people benefit most from being in offices according to Rishi Sunak. The Chancellor's all about the office life; he reckons he wouldn’t have formed such strong relationships in his early career if it’d all been over Zoom. The official “work from home” advice came to an end on 19th July, replaced with an expectation that companies and individuals will find arrangements that work for them.

Amber watch list binned

Boris Johnson has abandoned the idea of an “amber watch list” for foreign travel due to fears of widespread disruption. A watch list would have meant that amber countries could be at risk of moving to the red list at short notice. Travellers arriving from red list countries face the toughest restrictions, including paying £1,750 to quarantine in a hotel.