Test and trace

Some people might excuse the government’s failings in testing by considering how huge the task of scaling up is.

But clearly, there is no point in aiming for high figures of tests, unless you have the same scaling up of the processing.

Boris Johnson loves to finesse the truth, with claims to have world- beating testing, and a keenness to listen to the science. But he is also a swashbuckling figure who tells everyone to get back to the offices, back to schools, and back into pubs.

Swashbuckling causes complacency and encourages others in that direction. He can’t insist we should trust common sense, but then tell us that a complete collapse in common sense has caused our problems. He can’t tell us that his system is worldbeating without contributing to the false sense of security which has helped the numbers to rise. He can’t tell us that reviving the economy is his aim while allowing the virus to drive us all back into lockdown.

And once again we find that the government’s obsession

with using private companies to do testing and get PPE just gets in the way of having a national plan. This government believes in letting entrepreneurs lead, but sometimes you need planning and strategy.

ANDREW VASS Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh