SIR – The Government’s plan for two virus tests a week needs to be seen in the context of a year of frequent and random lurches from one idea to another.
The once much-vaunted and now much derided test and trace system, which has cost us £37 billion – more than we spend on primary schools in a year – has never done what it was supposed to, failed to meet its targets, or been in any way successful.
Now that the vaccination programme is working well, thanks to local Public Health, local NHS providers and GPs, we can expect more lifting of restrictions and with it more Covid infections.
What we need is a thorough system overhaul, reviewing the test, trace and self-isolation elements with the aim of containing the virus, not yet another quick fix. Increasing sick pay for those with positive tests and making self-isolation payments easier to access would be a good starting point.
Adrian Gregson Labour Leader, Worcester City Council
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