Jenny Harries says it will be obvious test and trace callers aren’t scammers because they’ll sound ‘professional’

England’s Deputy Chief Medical officer has raised eyebrows while attempting to promote the Government’s new Test and Trace programme.

The scheme is designed to limit the spread of coronavirus transmission by ordering contacts of those who become infected to self-isolate.

It has been introduced across England with the help of 25,000 hired tracers, tasked with contacting those affected to instruct them to place themselves under 14-day quarantine.

Jenny Harries was asked at Sunday’s Downing Street press briefing how members of the public can be sure that a phone call from one of them is not a scam.

Dr Harries replied: “I think it will be very obvious in the conversation you have with them that they are genuine in that regard.”

She added: “I recognise that many of us will be very cautious, and quite rightly so, about interactions from external organisations, but individuals will make it very clear to you that they are calling for a particular reason.

“I think it will be very evident when somebody rings you these are professionally trained individuals and sitting over them are a group of senior clinical professionals.”

Twitter users have criticised the comments for failing to grasp how fraudsters work.

Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal OBE tweeted: “I spent a lifetime prosecuting people speaking professionally while taking your money & your lives.”

While another Twitter user commented: "Whatever Jenny Harries credentials may be expertise in how scammers work is not one of them."

Elsewhere during the briefing, Dr Harries became the second medical chief to enter the Dominic Cummings row.

On Saturday, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam responded to a question about the adviser's contentious time in Durham during lockdown, by saying: "In my opinion, the rules are clear and they have always been clear.

"In my opinion, they are for the benefit of all. In my opinion, they apply to all."

A day later Dr Harries said she "absolutely" agreed with her colleague.

She explained: "I thought his exposure of what he felt was exactly right. We usually say exactly the same things because we think in public health terms.

"And from my own perspective I can assure you that from a level of personal and professional integrity, I would always try and follow the rules as I know he does.

"The important thing is they are rules for all of us."

She added: "It's really important as we go through into this next critical phase that we do follow them to the best of our abilities, and even minimise if you like, the freedoms that are there to ensure that we can very gently come out of the pandemic."

Dr Harries also expressed grave concern over the "plateauing" number of coronavirus deaths in the UK over recent days, especially as the country prepares for the relaxation of lockdown measures from Monday.

"That is the reason we need to be really really carefully," she said. "Not only watching the numbers, but actually watching what we are doing."

“So we have to keep applying the social distancing measures, limit the number of interactions we have, very carefully and sensibly pick up those easements to make our lives better, but not overdo it, so limit the number of interactions.

“Having said that, of course, we know from the data that it does rely in part on when cases are reported so we can all see the blips at the weekend, so I think we need to be watching over a longer period than a few days to get a sense and that is of course why we have the rolling average because it gives a much more proportionate picture if you like of what is happening in reality.

“But, yes, it is a critical time. We need to be very careful.”

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