A MUM says she is having to keep her five children off school after two of them started showing symptoms of Covid-19, because she can’t book a test for the deadly virus online.


We previously reported how a reporter attempted to book a test on two occasions on Wednesday, but was given the message the service was currently very busy, and to try again later.

Charlie Ledington said she was having this exact same problem but was in desperate need of a test as her whole family was now having to self isolate.

The mum-of-five, aged 30, said earlier this week her youngest child, two-year-old Chloe, developed a temperature and a bad cough.

“I phoned the doctors but to be seen she has to have had a negative test,”

Miss Ledington said. “I left it thinking if she gets a cold she will be fine, but she has got worse, and now she is really wheezy so I can tell it is her chest. I tried to book a test on the government website at 4pm on Wednesday, but couldn’t get one.

“I tried all Wednesday night, this morning (Thursday) – I haven’t slept because it said to keep refreshing it every two hours until appointments come available. “At one point, 11pm (on Wednesday night), one came up but it was in Wales, a four hour drive.

But after I clicked on it, it said ‘sorry no slots available’. It said this afternoon (Thursday) Droitwich, Tewkesbury and Bristol are available, telling you tests are left, but when you click on it again it says no slots available. It is a mess.
"I have had to keep all my children off school, we all have to isolate for 10 days now.
“My son also has a raging temperature but I can’t even get a test for Chloe. The kids have just had six months off school, finally go back but are now getting ill, and we can’t get tested."

Worcestershire County Council said the area was experiencing the same issues with booking tests online via the government website as the rest of the nation.