Owl has already reported on preliminary testing involving the RAF. The Isle of Wight is an intriguing choice. Sky news reports: “It has previously been suggested that areas that trial the app could also have coronavirus lockdown measures eased.”

Jon Stone Policy Correspondent www.independent.co.uk

A new NHS app to help trace those who have come into contact with coronavirus will be rolled out later this month, the government has said.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sunday morning that the software will “go into testing this week on the Isle of Wight”.

The app is being developed by NHSX, the digital arm of the health service. Matthew Gould, the arm’s chief executive, told MPs last week it would be “ready for when it will be needed” and trialled in a small area.

“That system’s going into testing this week on the Isle of Wight and then later in the month that app will be rolled out and deployed, assuming the tests are successful of course, to the population at large,” Mr Shapps told Sky News.

He added that “the idea is that we will encourage many as people to take this up as possible” , and that it would need at least 50-60 per cent of the population using it to work, adding: “I appreciate for various reasons that not everybody will download it.”

Addressing privacy concerns, Mr Shapps described the situation as “a huge national effort” and said: “It will be the best possible way to help the NHS, in fact it will be an NHS app. It will be completely confidential, the information doesn’t stay on there, you don’t know who the individuals are, but what it will do is alert someone if they’ve been near someone who has coronavirus.”

Other countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore have used contact tracing apps to help suppress the virus while allowing people more freedom than a full lockdown would allow.

Used in tandem with large-scale testing of the population, the apps have proven useful in keeping the transmission rate of the virus low – with a so-called “R” number below 1.

In Europe, Germany has also started to pursue a similar strategy, though concerns have been raised there about privacy.

In some countries, such as India, the app has been made compulsory for workers.

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Sir Ian Diamond, the UK’s national statistician and head of the UK Statistics Authority, said it was too early to say how many people had had the virus. 

“What we now need to do is monitor the course of the epidemic to understand the proportion of people at any time who are carrying the virus and the proportion of people who have the antivirus,” he told the BBC’s Anrew Marr Show.

He said a new survey to determine additional useful information about the virus was “just starting to get some initial results”.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

Every week dozens of planning applications are submitted to the local councils, and the coronavirus pandemic has not changed that.

While some council services have been suspended as a result of COVID-19, planning departments are still working as usual to validate and to decide upon applications.

The Devonlive site carries the full list of applications that have been submitted and validated by the various local councils or planning authorities in Devon in the last week.

Owl only copies those below for East Devon.

Will these all be determined under delegated authority?

EAST DEVON

• Change of use of part of existing caravan storage area to permit the siting of 85 storage containers in addition to storage of touring caravans – Hunthay Farm Axminster EX13 5RJ – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q9GF7KGHLGS00&activeTab=summary
• Proposed roofing over existing concrete yard – Coryton Farm Kilmington Axminster EX13 7RE – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q9CPS5GHLG100&activeTab=summary
• Construction of single storey side and rear extension – 16 Greenway Gardens Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6SW – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q9CPTTGHLGB00&activeTab=summary
• Construction of porch – 23 Honey Ditches Drive Seaton EX12 2NU – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q9AV6XGHLFT00&activeTab=summary
• Proposed roofing over an existing concrete yard and slurry store – Coryton Farm Kilmington Axminster EX13 7RE – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q9CPSIGHLG300&activeTab=summary
• Proposed conversion and extension of former chapel to unit of holiday accommodation and provision of associated parking area – Sheldon Chapel Sheldon – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q98XRSGH0GE00&activeTab=summary
• Certificate of lawfulness for the construction of a single storey rear extension – Bonheur Sidmouth Road Honiton EX14 1BE – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q95B6AGHLDV00&activeTab=summary
• Construction of single storey rear extension and provision of cladding – 1 Withycombe Barton Mews St Johns Road Exmouth EX8 5EG – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q95B5HGHLDR00&activeTab=summary
• Construction of single storey side, rear and front extensions (revision to 19/1627/FUL); demolition of an existing outbuilding and construction of new single storey building to provide a therapy/store room (resubmission of expired application 16/0400/FUL) – Khadine Slade Road Ottery St Mary EX11 1JE – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q8FDTHGHL6U00&activeTab=summary
• Certificate of lawfulness for the construction of a single storey extension – Abbotsford Longmeadow Road Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5LE – https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q95B6TGHLDY00&activeTab=summary

This is a warning of what could happen with prolonged suspension of full and effective democratic scrutiny of local Government. Parliament has found a way of opening up under lockdown. Some of the select committees have also been very active and effective.

At the moment EDDC has cancelled all meetings, including the Development Management Committee. 

Owl has previously posted lists of planning applications in one week to show that these have not been stopped by lockdown.  Planning applications are being dealt with by planning officers under delegated authority (signed off by Cllr. Mike Howe, Chairman DMC).

Owl has reviewed determined applications by EDDC for April, hopefully other applications are pending the resumption of the DMC. Out of 207 applications, six were withdrawn and only about ten were refused. Perhaps the majority of the nearly 200 applications granted, under delegated authority by planning officers, were for minor alterations such as to dormer windows or small extensions. The larger developments which affect many people should surely be subject to debate by councillors. The 30 houses at Beer, previously reported by Owl, are included in the applications granted permission for April.

EDDC needs to sort out a mechanism of holding a “virtual” DMC very soon.

David Collins, Northern Correspondent www.thetimes.co.uk 

Concern is growing that emergency powers given to Manchester city council during the Covid-19 crisis will be used to pass controversial decisions, including plans for the UK’s largest indoor arena, “behind closed doors”.

A £350m concert arena with a capacity of 23,000 is being planned next to Manchester City football club’s stadium. Two other projects — a block of flats and student accommodation — were previously rejected but now look likely to be passed.

The council has suspended its planning committee to ensure social distancing. Campaigners say the emergency arrangements, under which some decisions are taken by the chief executive, Joanne Roney, are not democratic.

Planning applications will now be considered by Roney, the committee chairman, Basil Curley, and his deputy, Nasrin Ali.

The proposed concert venue has been opposed by the operators of the Manchester Arena. Critics say the council has a “conflict of interest” as it has a 20% stake in the land where the arena is to be built. Manchester City’s owner, the Abu Dhabi United Group, controls the rest of the land. It is a partner with the council in city-centre blocks of flats.

John Sharkey of ASM Global, operator of the Manchester Arena, said: “A planning application of this scale and size is a matter for the whole of Manchester.”

The council said it was following national guidance, and that the ability of the public to engage in the planning process had not changed. It said it hoped to move to a “virtual planning committee”.

Owl has never understood why no records appear to have been collected of those self isolating with symptoms  by either NHS 111 or GPs. Such records would be very useful now wouldn’t they?

Hannah Devlin  www.theguardian.com

Is 100,000 enough for tracking and tracing?

The government has been accused of counting some tests prematurely, reportedly expanding its daily count to include tests that have been sent out in the post, rather than those actually carried out in labs. While it denies the charge, regardless of whether the 100,000 target has been met, countries that have taken a “test, trace, isolate” approach are running a far higher proportion of tests to positive cases than the UK. Germany, which is down to fewer than 1,000 daily positive cases, is performing nearly 1m tests per week. South Korea is doing 15,000 tests per day, but has had no more than 100 daily cases since the beginning of April. So, for a robust “test, trace, isolate” regime in the UK, the number of tests would need to be vastly increased or we would need to wait for the number of cases in the community to fall significantly.

Will healthcare workers be screened?

There have been calls for healthcare workers to undergo routine weekly screening to ensure that transmission between staff and patients is minimised. This is particularly important as people are known to be infectious before symptoms appear, meaning that hospitals could become hotspots for infection. However, regular screening of staff requires testing to be performed in hospitals or very nearby, and may also require staff to be available to take swabs. The government’s approach of centralising testing raises questions about how quickly local capacity could be rolled out to facilitate this.

Is the right data being collected and reported?

Questions have been raised about whether the data currently being collected is sufficient to support a “test, trace, isolate” programme, and community surveillance to pick up early signs of upticks in transmission in an area. Are testing centres starting to collect postcode information of those tested, for instance, or are they merely recording whether samples come back positive or negative? There are also concerns among statisticians that data is not being reported in a way that allows useful analysis. For instance, breakdowns of the number of positive tests from hospital patients, health workers and other groups have not been provided, and it is not clear why so many of the tests being performed appear to be repeat tests of the same person on the same day.

Are the right people getting the tests?

The rationale of the prioritisation of different groups – testing has this week been expanded to key workers, those who need to go out to work and over-65s – has not been clearly explained and there are still some groups reporting serious problems getting access to testing. Care home staff, in particular, have struggled to access tests, despite signs that the numbers of deaths in care homes will be very high. Given that care home residents do not have the option to self-isolate, it is crucial that staff are tested – and ideally regularly screened – to keep the virus out.

Is the quality of testing good enough?

In the rapid surge of testing, including at drive-throughs around the country, concerns have emerged about the reliability of test results and delays. Staff working in “mega-labs” have reported concerns about mislabelling of samples and lost results. Some people, including healthcare staff, have complained of waiting days or weeks for a result. There are also concerns that many drive-through sites are asking members of the public to self-administer swab tests, which could result in the samples being suboptimal.

The British government is quietly seeking access to the European Union’s pandemic warning system, despite early reluctance to cooperate on health after Brexit, the Guardian has learned.

Jennifer Rankin www.theguardian.com

The UK is seeking “something akin to membership” of the EU’s early warning and response system (EWRS), which has played a critical role in coordinating Europe’s response to the coronavirus, as well as to earlier pandemics such as bird flu. According to an EU source, this would be “pretty much the same” as membership of the system.

The government’s enthusiasm in the privacy of the negotiating room contrasts with noncommittal public statements. Detailed negotiating objectives published in February merely stated that the UK was “open to exploring cooperation between the UK and EU in other specific and narrowly defined areas where this is in the interest of both sides, for example on matters of health security”.

Health was not even mentioned in the government’s written statement to Parliament, aside from a reference to pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reported on 1 March that No 10 had blocked the Department of Health’s request to be part of the EWRS.

A government spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether the UK was seeking a form of membership or participation in the EWRS, but referred back to the February negotiating objectives.

In private, the coronavirus, which had claimed at least 26,771 lives in the UK by Thursday, appears to have altered government thinking.

“There was not much appetite from the UK at the beginning,” said the EU source, referring to cooperation on health. “That’s been corrected. They are keen and they are keen to be seen to be keen. Both sides want close cooperation.”

However, the EU is not prepared to offer the UK full membership of the EWRS, an online platform set up in 1998 where public authorities share information about health emergencies.

Instead, EU officials propose to “plug the UK into” the system when a pandemic emerges, similar to arrangements for other non-EU countries.

Health security does not feature in the UK negotiating text sent in private to the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, although EU officials have received a “non-paper” outlining government aims on health.

In another sign of rising British interest in European cooperation, the Guardian has established that the UK attended all five of the EU’s health security committee meetings on the coronavirus pandemic in April, a perfect attendance record, compared with a 70% British presence between 17 January and 30 March.

During the April meetings, officials discussed lockdown exit strategies and launching a joint procurement scheme on therapeutics in intensive care. No decision has been taken to launch this bulk-buying programme.

The Guardian first reported in March that the UK was not taking part in any of the EU’s four procurement schemes, missing bulk-buying efforts on personal protective equipment for medical workers, ventilators and testing kit – despite having attended relevant meetings.

Meanwhile, among NHS senior managers there is anxiety that Brexit talks risk “significant elements of health being forgotten about”, said Layla McCay, the international director of the NHS Confederation.

“NHS organisations have been stood up and stood down and stood up again for potentially a no-deal Brexit,” she said. “If a quite thorough future relationship for health matters is not on track come June, then the NHS is going to have to start to prepare for specific disruption next year as a result of Brexit, and it will have to do so while also facing both winter and coronavirus challenges. It will be a significant extra ask.”

British membership of the EWRS and broader EU health network “strengthen our ability to respond as effectively as possible” to health emergencies, McCay added.

The UK government spokesperson said: “The safety and security of our citizens is a top priority. The UK is ready to discuss how our citizens can be kept safe and benefit from continued international cooperation on health security following the end of the transition period, where it is in our mutual interest.

“Any such arrangements must align with the fundamental principles of respecting the UK’s political and economic independence, recognition of the UK and EU’s status as sovereign equals, and ensuring the UK has control over its own laws.”

The government’s former chief scientific adviser is convening a rival panel of experts to offer advice on easing the lockdown.

Tomorrow Sir David King will chair the first meeting of the group, which is designed to act as an independent alternative to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

Caroline Wheeler, Deputy Political Editor www.thetimes.co.uk 

The move comes after weeks of unease about the transparency of Sage decision-making. It has emerged that 16 of the 23 known members of the committee, which meets in secret, are employed by the government.

The independent group will broadcast live on YouTube and take evidence from global experts. It aims to present the government with “robust, unbiased advice” and some evidence-based policies to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

The committee will formally submit its recommendations to the health and social care select committee, heaping pressure on Boris Johnson as he draws up the government’s lockdown exit strategy.

King, who was chief scientific adviser to two prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, from 2000 to 2007, has previously accused ministers of responding too slowly to the coronavirus outbreak and wrongly allowing the Cheltenham festival and other big events to go ahead in mid-March.

He served under David Cameron and Theresa May as the UK’s climate envoy from 2013 to 2017.

Speaking before tomorrow’s meeting, which will be followed by a news conference, King said: “Science is fundamentally a system based on peer review. When it comes to scientific advice of any kind, transparency is essential.”

He added: “I am not at all critical of the scientists who are putting advice before the government . . . but because there is no transparency the government can say they are following scientific advice but we don’t know that they are.”

Dominic Cummings, a top aide to the prime minister, has attended the secret meetings of Sage.

“Cummings is an adviser to the prime minister. And the chief scientific adviser is an adviser to the prime minister. So there are two voices from the scientific advisory group and I think that’s very dangerous because only one of the two understands the science,” King said.

The committee has a draft agenda and is seeking to end the pandemic “with the fewest casualties possible”.

It is expected to focus on seven key areas. These include the criteria being used to lift the lockdown, how testing and tracing can be achieved, whether the policies on quarantine and the shielding of vulnerable groups are sufficient and how untapped resources can be better deployed.

The committee of 12 will include experts from all key scientific fields from the UK and abroad, including those from countries seemingly at the tail end of the pandemic.

Anthony Costello, the former director of the World Health Organisation and professor of global health at University College London, is among the members of the committee.

Others include: Professor Gabriel Scally, president of the epidemiology & public health section of the Royal Society of Medicine, and current adviser to the government of Ireland; Helen Ward, professor of public health, Imperial College London; and Professor Elias Mossialos, professor of health policy at London School of Economics and an adviser to the Greek government.

Costello said: “We want the meeting to be positive and constructive given that the current Sage has been somewhat opaque and we haven’t been able to see what they are saying or many of their documents. Scientific advice is always based on a debate and we are going to bring together different viewpoints so that the scientific balance can be constructed.”

Cummings has been at the centre of a row over whether he swayed Sage debates during coronavirus meetings.

He has been accused of putting pressure on the scientific body to enforce a lockdown sooner and to shut pubs and restaurants down within two days of a meeting on March 18.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis the government has insisted that all its decisions have been based on the independent advice provided by Sage. But Cummings’s involvement in the group’s meetings has been seized on by critics who have questioned how independent and impartial the advice given to ministers is.

Responding to the claims last week, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Sage provide independent scientific advice to government. No political advisers influence this advice.”