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Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Business Secretary claimed the Government’s coronavirus track and trace was fully operational and more than 87,000 people in the country had already been contacted. But when BBC host Nick Robinson confronted him on the latest figures published by the Government, showing one-fourth of contacts had been missed, Mr Sharma refused to accept the claim the system is still failing to keep everyone safe. 

Mr Robinson asked: “A quarter of those people who had the virus don’t get contacted, do they?”

As Mr Sharma said that was not the case, the BBC host blasted: “No, no. That is the figures that were released yesterday.

“A quarter of the people who have known to have had the virus – and there will be many more who are not known to have it – could not be contacted by the system.”

He added: “A quarter of all those people who needed to be contacted could not be found.

“This is a long way from a world-class test and tracing system, isn’t it?”

Mr Sharma also said protections are in place for staff who feel unsafe while working under the new “one metre-plus” restrictions when pubs and restaurants open again next month.

He said: “There is a legal duty requirement for businesses to keep their workers safe, for those who interact in those businesses to keep them safe.”

Mr Sharma added: “If people are ignoring the rules and they are not keeping a workplace safe, then there are clearly measures that can be followed and it is possible for there to be enforcement notices, there are going to be checks that are carried out, spot checks by the Health and Safety Executive, which they are already doing.

“And in the case where someone is not following an enforcement order and not fixing things in a workplace, then, for the most serious offences, people can go to prison for up to two years.

“These are real powers and real teeth that are in place.”

The Cabinet minister said concerned employees should get in touch with their local Health and Safety Executive and local authority as a first port of call.

From July 4, pubs, restaurants and hair salons in England will be allowed to reopen – and indoor gatherings involving two separate households will be permitted.

The public should wear face coverings “as a matter of course”, leading doctors have said as the Government eased the two-metre social distancing rule.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced the concept of “one metre plus” – where people can get closer than two metres if they use “mitigation measures” – such as wearing a face covering, being side to side or enhanced hygiene measures.

But he stressed that two metres is still “preferable”.

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The Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, both stressed that mitigation measures must be properly adhered to.

As a result of the easing, the British Medical Association (BMA) said the Government should now “require the public to wear face coverings”.

During the final daily Downing Street briefing on Covid-19, Mr Johnson said: “We can make a change to the guidance on two metres, which kept us safe while transmission of the virus was high, which can now be modified.

“Having considered all the evidence, while staying at two metres is preferable, we can now move to one metre plus where it is not possible for us to stay two metres apart.

“That means staying one metre apart plus mitigations which reduce the risk of transmission and these precautions could include installing screens, making sure people face away from each other, providing handwashing facilities, minimising the amount of time you spend with people outside of your household and of course being outdoors.

“On public transport, it already means one metre plus, it means wearing a face covering for mitigation as everybody I think now understands.”

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