Government ‘Spent £63k’ On Love Islanders And Celebrities To Promote NHS Test And Trace

Remember random celebrities on your Instagram feed promoting the NHS Track and Trace app? Well, it has been revealed that the government reportedly spent £63,000 on influencers - like Love Island's Chris Hughes and Shaughna Phillips - promoting it during the pandemic last year.

According to Full Fact{ =nofollow}, details from a Freedom of Information Request revealed that the government paid 42 social media influencers to post about Test and Trace, the app where members of the public can see if they’ve come into contact with someone who has Covid-19. Per person, that roughly means they were each paid £1,500 - but this could be different for each celeb, depending on their audience and Instagram engagement rates.

This isn’t new news, in August the government confirmed they were using influencers as part of a wider campaign surrounding the app. ‘Our use of social media influencers has meant over seven million people have been reached,’ a government spokesperson said. ‘This is just one part of a wider campaign utilising TV, radio, social, print and other advertisements to ensure the public has the information it needs.’

The caption to Shaughna's post in August, which was a throwback photo, included: 'Guys I want to remind you about the importance of Coronavirus testing and that its totally free, quick and is vital to stop the spread of coronavirus. Getting tested for coronavirus is the best way for us all to get back to doing the things we love and I love nothing more than spending time with my friends.'

To be honest, out of the £22billion funding the app last year - £63,000 seems like nothing.

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