People need assurances that the "test and trace" scheme designed to stop coronavirus won't land them in trouble if they break the law - or have an affair, according to a North East MP.
Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central, said the Government's new scheme would only succeed if people had confidence in it.
That meant giving them assurances that the information gathered about them would not be used for any purpose other than to stop the spread of coronavirus.
She said: "People are not going to honest about their contacts if they think they are going to be criminalised for it.
"There's crimes, but there's also people who are having affairs - people's movements is very sensitive infomation and they need to have trust in it.
"This only works if people have trust and confidence in the test and trace system, and in the Government."
Under the new system, anyone who has symptoms that suggest they might have coronavirus will be expected to apply for a test.
If the test is positive, they will be contacted by a tracer employed by the NHS, who will ask them to identify people they have been in contact with recently.
Those people will then be contacted and asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days.
Ms Onwurah said she welcomed the test and trace scheme.
She added: "It's a welcome step. In fact, it should have been in place months ago.
"This is how Greece and Germany and other countries with a much lower death rate than ours have kept on top of the virus."
