Covid tech gap seen widening inequality in Britain

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge during sunset in London. The most clinically vulnerable, poorest and oldest were most likely to lack technology access, said the report by the independent research body. — AP

LONDON: A stark divide in people’s use of Covid-related technology such as contact-tracing apps risks disenfranchising some of Britain’s most disadvantaged communities, researchers said on March 25, calling for a more inclusive approach to digital health.

Nearly a fifth of respondents lacked access to a smartphone, 14% lacked broadband internet, and 8% had neither, hampering their access to key health information and services during the pandemic, according to a UK poll by the Ada Lovelace Institute.