UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has demanded that the British government bring in a 24-hour guarantee for coronavirus testing.
“I’m calling on the Prime Minister to introduce a guarantee that no one will have to wait longer than 24 hours to get a coronavirus test and 24 hours to get the result. Boris Johnson must put the nation’s health first,” Starmer said on Twitter.
England’s contact tracing system takes effect today. Anyone who tests positive — or comes into contact with someone who has — will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was trying to speed up the coronavirus testing process.
“84% of the tests from the drive-through centers are returned within 24 hours. 95% of all tests are returned within 48 hours,” he told Sky News.
“Of course there are examples of where the process hasn’t worked.”
“I want to see every test returned within 24 hours from those drive-through centers. And we do that just as quickly as we can.”
