Residents of Harlow who woke up yesterday (12/09/2020) morning with a temperature or any of the other symptoms associated with COVID-19 will not have been able to book a test. The online test booking system displayed a message saying:

“This service is currently very busy.

More tests should be available later. If you cannot book a test now or the location or time are not convenient, try again in a few hours.

Do not call the helplines-you will not be able to get a test this way.”

Councillor Mark Ingall, Labour Leader of Harlow Council said,

“This is very worrying. Infection levels across the country are rising fast, but in Harlow, although the infection levels have shown a rise, the rise has been less alarming than in other parts of Essex. Now I’m wondering if the lower figures in Harlow just reflect the difficulty that residents face in getting tested.

 

“This government said that test and trace was a vital part of containing the spread of the virus. They said that effective test and trace was essential before all school children could safely go back school. They said test and trace was needed to allow people to return to a more normal life and help the economy recover.

 

“If test and trace is not working, as it wasn’t here in Harlow this morning, then this government has clearly failed the residents of our town and failed the country.”

@halfon4harlowMP Needs to explain how someone in Harlow can be tested if they cannot book.

The number of cases daily are increasing almost exponentially once more. We need to keep Harlow residents safe but this cannot happen if there is zero testing capacity.@yourharlow https://t.co/bUekTHIl1M

— Harlow Labour Party (@HarlowLabour) September 12, 2020

Sadly, this is not a topic of concern just for Harlow resident’s with the entire country suffering from these problems – something Sir Keir Starmer addressed in PMQ’s:

Families are being denied a test. I just want it fixed. #PMQs pic.twitter.com/rEykOhxyOR

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 9, 2020