UK coronavirus live: testing shortage could lead to 'lockdown by default', says teaching union head

News updates: government facing escalating pressure over testing crisis ahead of PMQS, as hospitals plug holes in systemSchoolchildren should be next in line for Covid tests, says BucklandFamilies having to ‘hack’ system to get coronavirus testOne coughing child – and three fruitless trips to the same test centreGlobal coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 10.15am BST Families of care home residents are lobbying MSPs as they go into Holyrood this morning, calling for a relaxation in “draconian” visiting guidelines.The group Care Home Relatives Scotland say that the current rules – which only allow outdoor visiting for a limited time period - are damaging the mental health of residents.People need their families. My mother never speaks to anyone with shared memories, and I can see a huge decline in her cognitively.A lot of our members have relatives with hearing or sight problems, they’re completely bewildered because they haven’t seen them for six months and now are having to sit miles away from each other. 10.13am BST Hoare says Lewis gave evidence to the committee in the summer. Why did he not tell the committee then that the Northern Ireland protocol was flawed, in the way the government now claims it is?Lewis says the internal market bill is a safety net, in case the joint committee (the UK/EU body set up to implement the protocol) cannot reach an agreement.Q: Wouldn’t it have been better if the bill had said that its provisions (to override the withdrawal agreement) would only come into force once the dispute resolution procedures in protocol had run their course? Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/sep/16/uk-coronavirus-news-latest-testing-shortage-could-lead-to-lockdown-by-default-says-teaching-union-head #politics #coronavirus_outbreak #uk_news #boris_johnson #pmqs #angela_rayner #brexit #northern_ireland #schools #education