Our ‘world-beating’ coronavirus testing system is a shameful shambles

The Sun

Published: 22:30, 15 Sep 2020

OUR “world-beating” Covid testing system is now a shameful shambles.

How did it come to this? Why weren’t we prepared for the surge in tests inevitable when firms and schools reopened?

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Queues are vast for Covid testing centres and thousands cannot get swabbedCredit: PA:Press Association

Tens of thousands cannot get swabbed. Others drive hundreds of miles in hope, only to be turned away.

Queues are vast, processing labs paralysed, testing kits unavailable.

How can we have an accurate national picture of cases? How are the NHS, our economy and schools to function with so many suspecting they have the virus and unable to work until they find out?

It is all very well Matt Hancock blaming those seeking a test unnecessarily.

But he encouraged greater uptake weeks ago while boasting how much capacity we had. Now he hopes to resolve this fiasco “in weeks”. Weeks!

So much for Boris Johnson’s “Operation Moonshot”, of ten million tests a day. It is an embarrassing fantasy.

Baroness Dido Harding was hired to fix this system. When will she?

Beeb bounty

IT’S hard to grasp. The BBC made OAPs pay the licence fee, then gave £1million to a radio host who lost a million listeners.

An extra quid for Zoe Ball for every person who switched her off.

The BBC cannot argue for the TV tax while dishing out huge pay hikesCredit: Alamy

The Beeb whined it would have to cut essential services to fund licences for over-75s. Apparently it was essential to put seven figures in Zoe’s bank account.

New boss Tim Davie did well with his Proms U-turn and ending journos’ bias.

But he cannot credibly argue for the TV tax while dishing out huge pay hikes only a commercial firm could possibly justify.

Work v woke

COMPARE and contrast: In East London, William and Kate cheerily bake bagels to keep community spirits up as the Covid crisis continues to bite.

That’s their job. Done superbly and without complaint.

William and Kate baked bagels in East London to keep community spirits upCredit: Rota

In an LA mansion, birthday boy Harry lazes with Meghan in the warm glow of the California sun and their new fortune.

They still pretend they were hounded out of Britain. Cobblers. They simply never fancied duties they thought dull.

Not when they could make a mint brain- storming grippingly woke Netflix shows.

Rent lifeline

IF Rishi Sunak extends the ban on landlords evicting retailers and restaurant owners, superb.

The Sun highlighted their plight in July.