Testing procedures and prices are a farce

JUNE 2021– great news! Mr Johnson in his wisdom decided that travellers to France no longer needed day two and day eight tests, or to self isolate on return, provided they had been double jabbed BUT would need a negative test in France before returning.

So we booked our ferry in confidence to see our daughter and grandchildren who live in France for the first time in nearly two years.

Then three days before we sailed, Mr Macron decided he would not accept our NHS app as proof of double jabbing BUT we needed a PCR negative test within 72 hours of sailing or No Entry.

It was virtually impossible to find a pharmacy which would test us at such short notice and get the result overnight. One centre quoted us £305 EACH for the service but luckily a pharmacy in Cheltenham agreed to do it for £119 each.

Whilst in France, Mr Johnson decided to put France on the amber plus list meaning we needed a test on day two and day eight of our return AND self isolation for 10 days.

Then, at the 11th hour, in fact two days before our return trip on 8th August, he decided to change his mind and ONLY wanted a PCR test on day two of our return BUT we would also need a negative test result in France two days before our return. Our day two test on return to England cost £94 each, for which we had to collect a testing kit from Cheltenham and take it home, where we had to shove a stick swab up our noses (a la Blackadder!) and then return the kits to Cheltenham by 10.45am the next day. We could have shoved these swabs up anybody’s nose in much the same way as Colin Pitchfork, the convicted murderer, faked his DNA test, but we didn’t.

We had to do all the running around and test ourselves and make two round trips to Cheltenham (140 miles) and all the pharmacy had to do was post off the completed test kits to the testing laboratory.

So to summarise, Mr Johnson’s faffing around has cost us an extra £238 for outgoing tests, £198 for incoming tests, plus running around to collect and deliver home test kits – over £436. And this is probably peanuts when I hear of what some people have paid.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the price of the tests in France before we sailed home. This was a whopping £16 each and a result within 10 minutes at my daughter’s local village pharmacy!!! Where do people get this idea of Rip-Off Britain?

Mr Johnson, to quote an old saying about some government departments, you are not fit for purpose, and this grey pensioner vote is feeling cheated by the whole rotten system of those who are feathering their nests at the expense of the British public.

Of course, if I were an MP or civil servant I would be exempt from all this expensive hassle as those jobs are considered ESSENTIAL to the economy of the country. I suppose you don’t consider the rest of us as taxpayers to be essential to the economy? What sort of airy fairy world do you live in within the Westminster and Whitehall bubble?

Edward Kynaston

Lydney, Glos