Londoners who suspect they may have the potentially deadly COVID-19 virus are being told to travel to the Isle of Wight to receive a test.
Several people have taken to Twitter today (Thursday) to express their confusion at why they are being told their nearest drive-through test site is at Newclose Cricket Ground in Newport.
According to the official coronavirus testing website, there are a total of 71 testing slots available on the Island over the next 5 days. Elsewhere in the country, the demand for testing is high and testing is being rationed to allow the Government to focus on areas where the infection levels are rising.
Mark Evans, one Twitter user who has flagged the issue, would have to travel around 70 miles before then catching a ferry to the Isle of Wight, then completing a further 5 mile journey to the testing facility.
Whilst it is unlikely anyone would carry out such a journey, especially with the cost of the ferry, it is an option being offered to those seeking a coronavirus test.
World-beating test, track and trace.
Good idea this come to the isle of wight infect everyone on the ferry your travelling on . get your test done travel on another ferry with another lot of passengers infect them and spread virus far and wide
Why not do the testing on the ferry and then send them back again on the “round-trip”? Makes sense to me, as these people suspect that they may have it.
What makes more sense is stay the hell away .. if London are struggling to test people then employ more people and stop coming up with insane ideas of sending possibly infected people on 150 mile round trip to infect untold amounts of people.. absolutely disgusting idea and maybe who ever thought of that should be fired.
True enough.
What an absolute joke.cant make it up !
Roll up…roll up..come leave your dirty covi here .all comers welcombe
If govs prioritizing tests too wheres needed most sort out the fraudulent companies claiming furlough dosh,get it back,but lots more test so for other areas n leave us islanders alone
Who would have thought that the price of ferrys could stop cv19 reaching the island.
Agree with you Liz. I suspect that the person/ people who are involved in this were originally were involved in the Monty Pythons Flying Circus scripts. Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any worse…”…………
WTF
Expect another price rise on the ferries then !
Ha, makes a change from us being told to go to the mainland for appointments!
Mainland Hospitals know what they are doing.
What a ridiculous idea, so the Islanders have a greater chance of catching the virus .
I work in the community for the NHS in the Isle of Wight and was told only last week that I had to travel to Portsmouth for a test. Absolute joke.
Hey if you live in London come to the iow bring the virus with u cause we are stupid enough to allow it…. we only have a small amount of cases but of corse we would love more…. who is the idot behind this brain wave
Id start at bob seely
Why send them down here when it will cost them loads and could infect other people seems like a waste of journey and money if they haven’t got it I don’t think they should be sent down here considering the island is full of older people who are vulnerable
But my friend on the Isle of Wight was told to travel to Warwick for a test! How crazy is that!
Just driven past Heathrow test centre.
Completely empty. Not one person queuing.
Lots of high vis jackets walking around with NO customers
Boris’s friend Dido Harding is doing such a good job with test and trace it’s not surprising she got the job of Chair of the National Institute of Health Protection.
Did I sleep through autumn and winter? Is it 1st of April?
Tried to book a test this afternoon for my wife and only availability was in Cardiff, long way to go from Cowed…
Drove past the test centre at the cricket ground this afternoon, I couldn’t tell if it was manned or not but there was definitely no-one there waiting for a test !!
Went to book a test on-line yesterday & was only given Newbury as an option.
The reason we have available space is that we have low numbers of cases; if Londoners then came over with suspected Covid 19 do you really think that our cases would remain low? Doh!
You can’t do that because the case will rise again
Maybe they trying to recover lost revenue on red funnel ferry’s
More proof that the Govt doesn’t actually know what it’s doing regarding Covid, probably more ” advice” from Dominic Cummings. Obviously another computerized system that doesn’t work, like the app.
You could not make it up, proof that years of promoting a university education has resulted in blind stupidity among some.
I think the council need to talk to the government urgently to ensure that people traveling across to the Island for tests are allowed on the next available ferry and also allowed to remain in there car. I think a law should be brought in under current powers that compel the ferry to abide by this and that people must declare they could be positive for Covid when they reach the port. At least we can be assured our MP will have asked for assurances that the Island community is protected by those traveling for tests.
More fake news
Which means the islanders are not being tested and the figures for the island community are tottaly false vulnerable people being shafted again