Britain’s testing system seizes up just when it is needed most

ON SEPTEMBER 14TH Toby’s seven-year-old son woke with a temperature—“not a huge one, but enough to keep him away from school.” As covid-19 guidance dictates, the finance worker went online to look for a test. Yet every type he asked for—at-home, drive-through or in a test centre—returned the same message: no tests available. Until a negative test result is obtained, the whole household has no choice but to isolate.

Toby’s situation is familiar to growing numbers of parents. The return of Britain’s schools has coincided with an inevitable outbreak of sniffles, as well as a less predictable rise in the number of covid cases—and the testing system has proved unable to cope. An enormous backlog of tests has built up. Even in the areas where the disease is most prevalent, people are struggling to get checked. The return of universities over the coming weeks will only add to the pressure.