From today Deliveroo will notify customers through their app and
website to let them know if surge testing is happening in their
area, as part of efforts to strengthen the decisive action
already taken by the government to tackle rising cases of
variants of concern across the country.
This new tool means that when customers are using the Deliveroo
app, notifications will be visible targeted in areas where the
new COVID-19 variant is known to be spreading fastest. These are
areas where surge testing is being offered by the local
authority, including areas of where additional support packages
are in place, including for testing, tracing and self-isolation.
Messages will be displayed to customers after the checkout stage
of placing their order on the app, and they will be advised to
visit their local authority’s website to find out more
information on where surge testing is being offered in the area.
The Deliveroo app banner will also link to the government’s
website with more information on how people can get tested.
In addition to surge testing, the government is providing
additional support packages to stop the spread of the Delta
variant which includes surge testing, tracing, isolation support
and maximising vaccine uptake. This has been rapidly deployed
across areas including Greater Manchester, Lancashire and
Cheshire.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
We are using every tool at our disposal to stop the spread of
variants of concern, and thanks to Deliveroo, this new
partnership will reach even more of the public to help us test as
many people as possible and identify variants of concern.
The government is committed to sending these variants into
retreat and through our offer of free, twice-weekly testing
combined with the phenomenal progress of our vaccination
programme, we are doing everything we can to protect loved ones.
This further support follows extensive COVID-19 surveillance and,
thanks to the UK’s world-leading genomic sequencing capability,
the government has detected a number of cases of the Delta
(B1.617.2) variant in these communities. Latest figures from
Public Health England show that numbers of the Delta variant in
the UK have risen by 29,892 in the last week.
Testing, isolation and vaccinations will help suppress and
control the spread of the virus and variants in both the short
and longer term, when used in combination with people following
existing guidance such as hands, face, space and fresh air.
Deliveroo reaches over 60% of the UK population, including areas
where surge testing is deployed. The delivery company works with
50,000 riders and 44,000 restaurants across the UK and during the
course of the pandemic has delivered 1 million free meals to NHS
workers and vulnerable groups.
Will Shu, CEO and founder of Deliveroo, said:
We wanted to do our bit to help NHS Test and Trace when they
asked. It’s vital that people have the information they need to
keep themselves and their loved ones safe. We’ve used our network
to support the NHS throughout the pandemic and will continue to
do so however we can. We hope this and other measures the
government is taking will accelerate the return to normality we
all want to see.
With around one in three people not showing symptoms of COVID-19,
everybody who lives or works in postcodes where surge testing is
taking place is strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 PCR test,
whether they are showing symptoms or not.
Additional surge testing is finding and isolating variants of
concern quickly. Enhanced contact tracing will be used for
individuals testing positive with a variant of concern. In these
instances, contact tracers will look back over an extended period
in order to determine the route of transmission.
By using PCR testing, positive results can be sent for genomic
sequencing at specialist laboratories, helping us to identify
variant of concern cases and their spread.
People with symptoms should book a free test online or by phone
so they can get tested at a testing site or have a testing kit
sent to them at home. Those without symptoms should visit the
local authority website for more information. People should also
continue using twice-weekly rapid testing alongside the PCR test
as part of surge testing.
Notes to Editors
The service is being provided at no extra cost to NHS Test and
Trace.
