National lockdown is a blunt tool. If it is implemented, as per Sage’s advice, we can’t return to square one on testing
- Coronavirus – latest updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
In July, it all looked possible. England’s 12-week lockdown had reduced the number of positive cases. We could have continued to crush the R value, and built the infrastructure capable of snuffing out local outbreaks. But instead the government chose privatised call centres over community contact tracers. Our testing system, divorced from primary care, was too slow to identify cases. Those who did test positive were often uncertain about what should happen next. And in the absence of financial support, many households did not comply with isolation.
