Lockdowns only buy time – the failures of the test and trace system need to be fixed

Editorial: At last the prime minister is dialling down the ‘optimism bias’, which has only led to unfulfilled promises

Ministers have spent billions on an operation that is struggling to cope (Getty)

Occluded as the coronavirus crisis is by party politics, about who’s winning and losing, it is worth noting that last week was not an encouraging one for the national fight against the pandemic. 

It is true that there were some tentative signs of moderation in the rate of increase in infections, but they are still rising across the country. That is why there have had to be more lockdowns and restrictions, now covering very large swathes of the UK. 

And the reason why infections are up and lockdowns are intensifying is because Britain has failed to develop and implement a practical, rapid test and trace system. Last week saw yet more disappointing performance statistics: only 15 per cent of tests processed in a day, and only 60 per cent of targets traced over the week.