THE majority of our readers say they still have the NHS Test and Trace app on their phones as more people are being told they have to self-isolate.

Thousands of people are getting ‘pinged’ and told to self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who tests positive, despite most legal Covid restrictions being eased on so-called 'Freedom Day'.

Department for Health and Social Care data shows 10,924 people were told to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus in the week to July 14 – the latest available data.

This was up from 7,050 the week before and means 17,974 people have been told to isolate in the latest 14 days alone.

We asked readers if they still have the app and 55 per cent said they do.

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But many of the 45 per cent of readers who do not said they have never downloaded it since the start of the pandemic.

Sophie Peachey said: “Had it for a day and deleted it. We’ll forever be isolating with it and it makes no sense.”

Carol Franklin said: “I never had it. It’s far too unreliable.”

Isolation is recommended but not mandatory if someone is alerted by the app, while those contacted by Test and Trace have a legal duty to self-isolate.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details of anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

Across England, more than 223,000 cases were transferred to the contact tracing system between July 8 and 14, with 475,500 people identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive.

The number of close contacts identified is now the highest observed since the week ending January 20 during the third national lockdown.

The Government is coming under fire after businesses revealed they were struggling to cope with increasing numbers of people being “pinged” by the app.

Matt Downey said: “I got pinged twice in a row at the end of last year, so I deleted it after the second time.”

Some readers said they still have the app but have turned off the Bluetooth tracking.

One reader said: “I just use it to check into venues when required.”