London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

‘Cruel and unnecessary’: UK government will ask parents to test their kids twice a week for Covid at home – reports

‘Cruel and unnecessary’: UK government will ask parents to test their kids twice a week for Covid at home – reports

The British government is reportedly planning on asking parents to test their children for Covid-19 twice weekly once schools reopen. The rumoured plan has been met with a wave of condemnation.

Boris Johnson’s government is expected to announce the phased reopening of schools as early as next week, with March 8 slated as the target date for reopening. The Telegraph reported on Thursday that secondary school students will be tested en masse once classes begin, and parents will be asked to test them twice a week at home from then on.

The Department of Education did not confirm or deny the report, which came ahead of a meeting between department heads and teachers’ union bosses on Thursday. Talks between the department and the union are expected to focus on how to implement a testing regime. The unions have pushed for at-home testing, and according to the Telegraph they called on-site testing “inoperable” and “ridiculous.”

However, commenters online immediately shot down the idea of at-home testing. One pointed out that the lateral flow tests that would be used have a false positive rate of 0.32 percent, which would generate 6,400 false positives per week, assuming one million secondary school students are being tested. If every one of England's 3.4 million secondary school students are tested, more than 20,000 false cases could be reported every week.


Another Telegraph report this week stated that the government will not ease lockdown restrictions until new coronavirus cases dip below 1,000 per day, a target that would likely be impossible to meet if so many false positives were being reported.

A study by Imperial College London, published on Thursday, found that infections across England have fallen by two thirds since January, but the country is still recording around 10,000 per day – ten times the government’s supposed target.

Aside from the glut of cases – both real and false – that such a testing regime would bring, some commenters said it would be “unenforceable and unreliable,” while others simply balked at the “cruel and unnecessary” idea of subjecting their healthy children to non-stop testing.



 
More than 12 million Britons have already received their first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, more per capita than any other country of comparable population size, according to the British Medical Journal. As the rollout continues, government adviser Sir John Bell told a parliament committee on Wednesday that it is “not plausible” to expect the population to comply with continued restrictions for much longer. People, he warned, want to get back to a “relatively normal way of life.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×