Commenting on the Contact-tracing and Testing Story in the Telegraph, Bob Seely MP said:
“I welcome the proposal, although clearly we are waiting for full details and confirmation of go-ahead.
“In conversations with Matt Hancock and Health Ministers recently and over the past few years, I have made the case for the Island piloting schemes, especially in ideas around telemedicine and the use of drones - to drive improvements in patient care.
“There is no question of ‘just’ lifting the lockdown. However, the elements for planning lockdown easing - as well as long-term Covid-19 suppression - can be put together on the Island prior to rolling out nationally.
“The lockdown is not a trade-off between lives v. the economy; it is between saving life now versus saving life later. We need to save life now, and this pilot scheme will make Islanders safer - but we also need to preserve life in future. The reality is that cancers are at risk of going undetected and heart conditions untreated. Failed business and bankruptcies will lead to stress and possibly a rise in suicides. Young people are being denied education and life chances are being undermined.
“We need to find a way out of the current situation. We need to start planning. The Government is doing the right thing and I believe that this pilot will help make the Island as well as the UK safer.”
