UK spares key workers quarantine as staff shortages bite

Officials have eased rules on self-isolation for a range of essential workers in a bid to alleviate ‘pingdemic’ disruption.

The United Kingdom’s government has announced it will ease coronavirus quarantine rules for thousands more essential workers in an attempt to end staff shortages that are hobbling parts of the economy. About 26 million Britons have downloaded a health service phone app that “pings” people to tell them to self-isolate for 10 days if they come into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. With the UK recently recording tens of thousands of new virus cases a day, the system has led to a so-called “pingdemic” during which rates of employee absence for restaurants and a swathe of other businesses have soared and gaps on some supermarket shelves have appeared.