Sorry its so long - Wife just seen this on Netmums.115 Sep 2020 17:25
On behalf of all parents in the UK, we are calling on the government to urgently get a grip on coronavirus testing.
It's broken, not working and needs fixing.
Our children have been back at school for only a week, and already the testing system has failed
As a result, families are at breaking point.
We've coped with six months of school closures and no childcare. We've stayed at home and taught our children the importance of hand washing and social distancing.
We've juggled homeschooling and working from home, while unable to see grandparents and panicking about vulnerable family members.
We've even been lonely, anxious, scared – and some of us unwell ourselves.
We've done everything that has been asked of us since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now we need something from the government.
We need the testing system to work or schools, offices and GP surgeries will once again close.
We are desperate.
Every child has gone back to school after months of being kept away from germs.
Just days and weeks into the new school year, kids are getting sick with colds, coughs and temperatures. All to be expected come September in any year, but especially this one.
And yet with months to prepare, the 'system' has collapsed under the strain.
Worried parents up and down the country are being called to collect poorly children from school, with the firm instruction that they must get a test if their child has any of the 'classic' coronavirus symptoms.
Yet here's the reality of what's happening up and down the country.
THE TESTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.
Worried parents are juggling a poorly child, and a job they're clinging onto by their fingertips, all while refreshing the website while it either times out, or a 'no tests available' message pops up.
If they're 'lucky' they're being told to drive with poorly child, during their working day, hundreds of miles to a test centre. Often to find no test available at the other end.
This is no joke.
Our community of parents is full of mums and dads pushed to the limit.
One mum of a five year old said:
'My daughter has a cough, I've tried to get her tested. The nearest test centre is 40 miles away. The next option would be to order a kit for home. I've tried the last 3 days and there is none available. I believe its just a cold as she hasn't gone off food and had no temp! I don't want to be stuck in for 2 weeks with what may or may not be coronavirus, but can't get a test.'
Another mum of three said:
'My youngest had a symptom, I was told to get test before they could return to school. So I spent the weekend refreshing the site and eventually managed to get one via a drive-in centre. Meanwhile, the oldest got a temperature while waiting for the test result for youngest. So I got up at 6am to refresh the site and eventually got an option to receive one by post, which we are waiting for. My husband is a GP and can't even get a test so we're all now s
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