'We were offered tests in Fife and Inverness' - Parents react to news Blackpool children should be checked for Covid-19 if they have a headache or are tired

The Government's website said there were no drive-through or home tests available -- but said: "More tests should be available later."

It comes after the resort's director of public health wrote to headteachers to tell them the local threshold for testing will be lowered, with a range of coronavirus signs now included and not just fever, a cough, and loss of smell or taste.Only after a negative test should youngsters return to the classroom.

Parents reacted to that news with incredulity, with some claiming they were directed to Scotland for a test.

Mum Nicola Burns, whose children have been off school for a week with sore throats, stomach aches, and coughs, said it took "two days of checking every 20 minutes" to get a test.

"We were offered Fife and Inverness," she said.

Inverness is 350 miles from Blackpool, a much greater distance than the maximum of 75 miles the Government previously said people would have to travel.

The nearest testing centre is around 17 miles away in Preston.

Nicola, who said she was still waiting for the test results to come back, is "pretty confident" her children only had colds.

"They have been locked up for months so are bound to pick anything and everything up, but their schools wanted them tested before they returned," she said.

"At least they are being thorough."

The town's director of public health, Dr Arif Rajpura, accepted that the new advice will see greater numbers of pupils absent, though he described it as a "lesser evil" than having to close entire schools due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

He said: “We are continuing to highlight the three main symptoms listed by the Department of Health, but widening the scope to include other symptoms that children are known to present with. This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

“This lowering of the threshold is based on emerging evidence and research, and also from our own local experiences in the effective management of the spread of the virus in our care homes."

An early list of the new symptoms to watch for included a runny nose, it is understood, but no longer does.

The symptoms are:

- Fever

- Dry cough

- Tiredness

- Aches and pains

- Sore throat

- Diarrhoea

- Headache

- Conjunctivitis

- Loss of taste or smell

- Rash on skin or discolouration of fingers or toes

- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

- Chest pain or pressure

- Loss of speech or movement

Dr Rajpura said: “Regardless of coronavirus, I would expect that children with potentially infectious illnesses such as stomach bugs and sore throats would not be in school anyway until their symptoms have resolved.”

But concerns were raised about the impact on parents, many of whom have just returned to work after weeks of home schooling.

Amber Todman said: "We are in September, the beginning of autumn when ordinarily most children and adults will experience a cold, sore throat, and headaches - even more so now we have not been near others for nearly six months and our immune systems and probably not existent.

"I agree for more testing and for people to be more careful, but this means a lot of children will be out of school again and therefore a lot of parents [will] not be able to work, resulting in no pay, no food, and more poverty.

"I don't know what the answer is and I'm not sure there's a right one but it seems everyone is forgetting the common autumn back to school cold."

And mum Melanie Louise added: "Kids will never be in school and they say tests are hard to get hold of already."

The national testing programme is dealing with a backlog of 185,000 swabs, with tests being sent to labs in Italy and Germany as the system faces criticism for struggling to meet demand.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) insists that the capacity of the NHS Test and Trace system is at the highest it has ever been, but said there has been a “significant” demand for tests.

This includes demand from people “who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible”, the DHSC said.

Many people who tried to access tests last week were met with an error message telling them to try again, and warning them not to call the helplines.

And on Tuesday, NHS Test and Trace’s director of testing apologised to people who were unable to get a test.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Thursday that 1.2 million tests are being carried out per week at the moment, adding that there is a capacity for 300,000 per day.

The Government no longer publishes daily testing figures, but the latest available figures said 175,687 tests were reported on September 2.

And, on the same date, the estimated total capacity reported by laboratories was 369,937.

In a letter to schools, director of children’s services Diane Booth said she appreciates the new advice for schools in Blackpool "broadens the scope and need for testing,” and said the issue of lab capacity has been “raised as a critical issue”.

“I appreciate that this is a challenging time for all schools and our community, but our approach I feel is the most appropriate to take," she said.

Christ the King Catholic Academy in Rodwell Walk, Blackpool, said it had been contacted by "several parents" about the "unavailability of tests both at test centres and also home tests being unavailable", and said it would "continue to have a low threshold for symptoms as advised by Dr Arif".

While Anchorsholme Academy, in Eastpines Drive, told parents "some of the information we have been asked to send out has had a mixed reception from some parents".

But it said: "Please don't shoot the messenger. We are not contracting this information, it is being sent for us to share with parents.

"One particular piece of information, which caused some concern this week, was the symptom and testing guidance that was provided by [Dr Rajpura].

"Since issuing the information he has met with headteachers to again reiterate the importance [of] following the guidance if virus spreading is to be limited in schools.

"Some of you will know first hand the implications of virus spreading resulting in large parts of some local schools being closed again."

Helen Moreton, headteacher at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Seacrest Avenue, North Shore, told parents in a letter that Dr Rajpura had "advised local schools to have a much lower tolerance of illness".

She said: "This will enable the community to be confident of any local cases. He confirmed that there are some issues around tests being available but that in the coming weeks there will be more local test availability.

"In the meantime, parents with symptomatic children should keep them at home and continue to log onto the NHS website to book a test.

"Dr Rajpura suggested that there may be more availability late at night or early morning but parents should keep trying to book a test."

Ruth Coupe, executive principal at Marton Primary Academy in Whernside, said parents should also avoid taking their children to "places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital" if they - or anybody in their household - "have any of these symptoms, however mild".

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School, in Common Edge Road, Marton, said a number of pupils "have been poorly with colds, some of whom have had to take a little time off".

But it said: "We have also encountered children with further symptoms than simply 'seasonal sniffles'.

"I know for parents illness can be difficult to navigate in this present situation. Please keep talking to us and asking those questions."

It said the council and education bosses are "erring on the site of caution" with the fresh advice, and added: "We are all experiencing this together and for the first time.

"Remember, together we will always be stronger as together we will be thinking about each other and our actions will say a thousand words."

The DHSC said: “NHS Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible.

“New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

“Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster.

“If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands, wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules.”