Outsource Test and Trace to Amazon?

This is no surprise - Amazon have had their fingers in this pie for a while.

In July (just checked my old emails) I had to have a Covid test for work purposes and applied for the home test kit on the government website.

Was very surprised to receive an acknowledgment from Amazon/NHS confirming details that the pack had been despatched, from Cambridge. The email was almost identical to the confirmation you get when ordering anything from Amazon, complete with a tracking number.

Obvious to me - why not use the Army?

Or why not use the local authority organisations already set up and experienced in dealing with outbreaks of illness in local populations; with experience of contact tracing etc. Some LAs are already doing this for covid in default of any effective action from the national network.

I can only assume that this so called 'government' is desperate to avoid using any public services which don't offer any financial reward to their cronies.

Absolutely MaizieD

It's unbelievable. I watched Jonathan Ashworth asking about test and Trace yesterday or as he termed it "Trace a test". He asked if the failing private companies would have their contracts cancelled- guess what-no reply!
I did hear that tracing is failing partly because people get a call on their mobile from an unknown number so they don't answer.

Same here maizied. In July after being requested to do a test by the Covid Symptom Study we found no drive in appointments so requested a home testing kit. Delivered promptly by Amazon the next morning. It occurs to me that if we had been ill we wouldn’t have noticed/cared where it came from as long as it did. Not justifying it, just saying.

Sadly the reality is that Amazon deliver.
Their logistics are second to none and they have an eager workforce.

Before anyone responds telling me that they are treated poorly paid the minimum wage etc.
Look at their benefits, these include a scheme whereby Amazon pay 95% of tuition fees for staff to further their education.
They can also get private health and income protection.

Missfoodlove I agree, I believe Serco and Mitie are involved in the current testing, they’ve often had government contracts, for years. If someone is going to be paid, without getting into any political discussion, let’s have a company with a track history of delivering what they’re signed up for.

Amazon have been a life saver for us since the first lockdown, reliable quick service (wasn't a fan before lockdown).

I think that if they are given the logistical side of the test and trace project they will deliver an efficient service.

twitter.com/JonAshworth/status/1306144876845768705?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Worth listening to

Maybe if Amazon paid their taxes!

More privatisation by the back door.

How about giving Amazon the contract on the proviso that they pay the right amount of tax at the right time?
They could work with HMRC over their tax avoidance.

Most companies make that effort so I wouldn’t have thought it was a lot to ask.

Thoroughly agree that Amazon should pay the appropriate tax on their profits.

If any of the government departments involved in the pandemic had worked as efficiently as Amazon, we wouldn't be in this mess. As it is, Amazon is efficient, does exactly what it says it will do, when it says it will and is completely reliable. If only they paid there taxes, as Whitewave says.....

why not use the Army?

I'm surprised that they haven't.
The Army was called in to build and equip the Nightingale Hospitals and they were completed in record time and with efficiency. I think they have already delivered COVID testing kits to NHS workers.

ARMY READY TO SERVE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Army’s priority remains to protect the UK public in these unprecedented times. We are working hard to ensure we continue to be ready, resilient and responsive to all the challenges the coronavirus may bring. As the Army family, we are well disposed to support the nation in its time of need.

Perhaps it hasn't occurred to Boris and Dido that they have such an excellent resource available.
Don't put Dom in charge though. He knows how the Army should be run. Not.

Amazon works like the Army - efficiently.

But why not use our own resources?

When I first read that Amazon may be taking over, I thought they would be delivering the testing kits also. Many of us I am sure would be happy to pay if a negative test meant going back to work or whatever.

I think they could do it but I agree, why should Amazon probably pay less tax than me?

Yes, I take the point about taxes, but Amazon is amazingly efficient.

I’d rather see the Army brought in to monitor some of the disobliging public. A friend sent me a video clip from the NE Metro, showing pensioners wearing masks, but groups of school age teenagers and whole families mask-less. Just one example of those who flout then law because they can and no one is policing it.