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People who've been in close contact with someone found to have Covid-19 in England and Scotland are now being traced by thousands of NHS staff.
The contact tracers will ask people they get in touch with to self-isolate for a fortnight.
The hope is that England's NHS Test and Trace system will avoid the need for national lockdowns, in favour of more local restrictions which could include schools and workplaces.
What happens if I test positive for coronavirus?
Anyone in England with coronavirus symptoms can now get a test. If it's positive you'll be contacted by text, email or phone and asked to log on to the NHS Test and Trace website.
There you will be asked for personal information including:
- Name, date of birth and postcode
- Who you live with
- Places you visited recently
- Names and contact details of people you have been in close contact with in the 48 hours before your symptoms started
Close contact means people in your household and anyone else you have been within 2m (6ft) of for more than 15 minutes.
No one contacted as a result of you testing positive for coronavirus will be told your identity.
A parent or guardian will need to give permission for a call with under-18s to continue.
What if I am contacted by the tracers?
Anyone deemed at risk of infection will be told to stay at home for 14 days.
You will be asked to self-isolate, even if you do not have symptoms, to stop you from unknowingly spreading the virus.
This means that you should not leave your home for any reason. If you need food or medicine, you should order it online or by phone, or ask friends and family to drop it off on your doorstep.
The people you live with won't have to self-isolate, unless they also develop symptoms, but they must take extra care around you regarding social distancing and hand washing.
The tracers can track down the contacts of 10,000 people every day, the government says.
It's hoped the system - already used in places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany - will slow the spread of coronavirus.
How do I avoid scammers?
The NHS Test and Trace service will not ask you:
- for bank details, or payments
- for details of any other accounts, such as social media
- to set up a password or PIN number over the phone
- to call a premium rate number, such as those starting 09 or 087
England's Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the tracers will only be calling from 0300 013,5 000.
What about other parts of the UK?
Do I have to follow the instruction to self-isolate?
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says he is confident the "vast majority of people" will do their "civic duty" and follow the NHS test and trace instructions.
At Wednesday's government daily briefing he said: "This will be voluntary at first because we trust everyone to do the right thing, but we can quickly make it mandatory if that's what it takes."
When will the contact-tracing app be ready?
A smartphone app which would automatically alert people that they've been in contact with someone with coronavirus is still being trialled on the Isle of Wight.
It was originally due to be rolled out nationwide in mid-May, but the government now says it will be ready ''in the coming weeks''.
With Bluetooth switched on, the app would work in tandem with manual tracing - and could help get hold of people who might not personally know the person who has tested positive.
The Isle of Wight trial suggests that at the moment, because of lockdown, people have not been spending 15 minutes in the close company of many others - mainly only those they live with.
How have other countries used contact tracing?
Contact tracing has been credited with helping to lift restrictions in other places: