Prognosis

U.K. Gets Ready for Second Wave With Mass Test and Trace Program

Government hiring 18,000 people to carry out contact tracing
Test capacity being ramped up, government struggles to use it

Cyclists pedal along Whitehall in London on April 22.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

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By Alex Morales and Stuart Biggs

April 22, 2020 at 11:01 PM UTC

Updated on

April 23, 2020 at 7:38 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock promised to roll out a contact-tracing program and ramp up testing dramatically after weeks of criticism the government was falling behind in two areas seen as vital to stemming the coronavirus.

Hancock said Thursday he will make test appointments available to all key workers and their families through a website. The U.K. will also hire 18,000 people to operate the planned tracing program, he added.