News
19th Oct 2020
In another unequivocal triumph for the government’s test, track and trace program, people with suspected Coronavirus symptoms were directed to a testing centre in Sevenoaks, Kent that did not exist.
The local council noticed that a mobile testing centre was listed on Gov.uk but failed to be deployed, leaving those looking for a test driving around for up to an hour before clocking it wasn’t there.
Local resident Angie Waters, whose husband is in the high-risk category due to a cardiovascular condition told the BBC that the situation was an “absolute fiasco”. She said: “I thought to be on the safe side I’d better get tested, I don’t want to put him at risk. It was just a joke. I spoke to one woman who said she had been going round for an hour.”
Council officials in Sevenoaks had been asked to find a suitable mobile testing spot in response to an increase in cases in the area, but had not authorised a location before the test centre appeared on the government website.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are aware of an issue with an incorrect testing location in Sevenoaks. This issue has now been resolved and people are being redirected to the correct site.
“NHS Test and Trace is providing tests at the unprecedented scale of more than 270,000 tests per day nationally and we are on track to achieve capacity for 500,000 tests a day by the end of October.’’
