Ping pong: Spat over tracing app as shelves empty in England

LONDON (AP) — In scenes reminiscent of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, supermarket shelves across England were looking a tad empty on Thursday.

This time, it's nothing to do with consumers stockpiling ahead of lockdown. It was all to do with staff, including shelve stackers and delivery drivers, getting “pinged” on their phones to self-isolate because of contact with coronavirus cases.

Grappling with staff shortages amid the so-called “pingdemic,” many businesses, such as supermarket chain Iceland, have had to close some stores — something they didn't have to do at the height of England's three lockdowns during the pandemic.

Hundreds of thousands of people — including Prime Minister Boris Johnson — are currently having to self-isolate for 10 days after being informed by the National Health Service’s hugely costly test and trace app that they have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The British Retail Consortium wants the government to “act fast” and exempt fully-vaccinated workers, or those who test negative for the virus, from the requirements of a “ping.” Changes are expected later but they won't be substantive.

The app’s notification is advisory and anyone “pinged” by the app is not legally required to isolate, but Johnson's government has insisted that people follow the rules.

But many individuals and firms are starting to take matters in their own hands. There’s growing evidence pointing to people deleting the app or at least turning off Bluetooth when they go into areas, such as hospitals or restaurants, where they could potentially come into close proximity with someone who may have COVID-19.

The chief executive of Bidfood, a food distribution company, told his delivery drivers to take tests and not to...