People have been turning up to coronavirus testing centres without appointments and allegedly hurling abuse at testing staff.
Hertfordshire County Council is urging for anyone wishing to get a coronavirus test, to go through the correct online booking procedures.
In a tweet, the county council said there have been “a number of incidents” at Hertfordshire testing sites with members of the public demanding to be tested without an appointment.
The tweet said: “Any form of abuse to testing staff will not be tolerated. If you need a test, you must book one at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.”
There have been a number of incidents at Hertfordshire coronavirus testing sites with members of the public demanding to be tested without an appointment. Any form of abuse to testing staff will not be tolerated. If you need a test, you must book one at https://t.co/3kTtckPCfW pic.twitter.com/4BVTKk186A
— Hertfordshire County Council (@hertscc) September 16, 2020
Cabinet Member for Public Health and Prevention, Cllr Tim Hutchings said: “Please support our NHS colleagues by booking a test before arriving at a testing site.
"If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you must book a test appointment first at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.
"Any abuse to staff at testing centres will not be tolerated, so please be kind to our key workers during these challenging times.”
This comes following reports of a national testing capacity shortage.
As a result, the coronavirus booking website often shows either no testing centres available or redirects people to sites outside their local area.
Read more:
- We checked how easy it was to book a coronavirus test amid national 'shortage'
- Coronavirus: When should you self-isolate - and get a test?
Due to ongoing shortages, NHS England is urging to only get a test if you display any coronavirus symptoms or have been asked to get tested.
The NHS are reminding people to not use the service to get a test in order to travel to another country. Alternatively, those can pay for a private test.
If you have symptoms, you need to get a test as soon as possible and within the first five days of having symptoms.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here