Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú

Scientist say testing and contact tracing in England needs to improve so people can remain safe once schools fully re-open in September.

That's because scientists expect adults to be moving around more from then too, as they won't need to stay at home to look after their children. This could mean more adults coming into contact with each other and potentially spreading the coronavirus to others.

Of the UK's four nations it's only England that's getting this warning - Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are doing much better with their 'test and trace' systems so it's thought they'll cope better as schools reopen and adults start to move around more.

Simon Clarke, a minister from the Government, says about the NHS Test and Trace system: "We're confident it is working, we're confident that it will continue to improve, and we're confident that it will allow schools to open safely in the autumn."

He said the system is "maturing all the time" and getting children back to school in the autumn is a "top priority" for the government.

However, Professor Chris Bonell, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said, "It doesn't look good enough to me".

The UK government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has already warned that the country is "near the limit" of reopening without risking a rise in Covd-19 cases.

Each UK nation has their own contact tracing systems.

The system in England has reached 80% of those testing positive and traced over 75% of their contacts, say the government.

The Welsh government says it want schools open in September with all pupils present on site, and that the country's test and trace system "should be aiming to trace an estimated 80% of contacts, at least 35% of which are to be traced within 24 hours".

Since 21 June, 90% of close contacts were reached by the service, according to Welsh government figures.

A Scottish government spokesperson said ensuring a "safe environment" for education was its "absolute priority" and guidance set out "a number of specific risk-mitigation measures that will need to be introduced" including an "enhanced surveillance programme".

In Northern Ireland, the latest figures for the week to 29 July showed 98% of contacts were successfully reached by the country's contact tracing service.