Coronavirus: Northampton council leader says 'keep carping' about tests

Northampton remains an "area of concern" for coronavirus

A Conservative council leader has urged residents to "keep carping" about the availability of coronavirus tests.

Earlier this week senior minister Jacob Rees-Mogg was criticised after he described concern over testing shortages as "carping".

Bu Jonathan Nunn from Northampton Borough Council said if someone, or their family member, had symptoms it was "sensible to get a test".

Northampton is on Public Health England's list as "an area of concern".

But it said the rise in coronavirus cases in the town was "almost solely" because of the outbreak at the Greencore sandwich factory last month.

In response to a question in the House of Commons, Mr Rees-Mogg, leader of the House, praised the increase in testing for "a disease that nobody knew about a few months ago".

He added: "And instead of this endless carping saying it's difficult to get them, we should be celebrating this phenomenal success of the British nation in getting up to a quarter of a million tests for a disease that nobody knew about until earlier in the year."

Asked about the comments Mr Nunn said "carping is not a word I would use".

He said: "I would urge people to keep carping, keep moaning, keep complaining, keep pushing, and let's get that lab capacity up, but in context realise resources have been short on different things at different times and at the moment it's lab testing, but let's get it sorted as quickly as possible."

Jonathan Nunn said he understood why residents felt they wanted to get a test for coronavirus

Mr Nunn also said he was "worried" by the idea of further restrictions in England after the government said the UK was "now seeing a second wave".

But he said the health of residents "has to come first".

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