The past few years have shown us how divisive ‘political’ issues can be – especially when it comes to Covid.
Wearing a mask in public? Most people seem OK with that. (But you could still spark a scrap if you ask the wrong person.)
Lockdowns? Again, probably okay. (But I’ve still lost countless hours of my life arguing about the merits with friends and strangers.)
Vaccines? Well… I don’t really want to go there.
In fact, the only policy that seems to have been met with widespread approval is testing for Covid.
Even among the most fervent of the anti-mask, anti-vaccine, anti-not-killing-the-vulnerable brigade, it’s rare to see somebody declare they’re sick of the nanny state reaching into our lives and letting us know if we have a deadly disease.
And yet, on Monday, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government announced they would be scrapping free testing for those without underlying health conditions under the age of 80.
It’s still unclear how this will effect Westminster-funded testing in Scotland.
The slippery slope towards paid healthcare
But it’s all fine though, right?
If you’re a fit and able-bodied person you don’t need to know if you have Covid.
It’s not as if you’re regularly interacting with elderly and vulnerable people and might not want to get them sick (or even kill them).
And it’s not like free healthcare (including diagnosis for illness) has been a cornerstone of life in the UK since the end of the Second World War.
Some critics are suggesting this end to free Covid testing might be a first step towards a state where other medical procedures deemed “non-essential” suddenly start costing us money.
Twenty quid to get migraines sorted.
Forty if you want something to help with your insomnia.
Why are we even entertaining the idea that we should pay for covid tests?
When was the last time you paid for any test? Chlamydia, HIV, blood test, x-ray? No never.
Conditioning us for more paid healthcare…
— CAL ROSCOW (@calroscow) February 22, 2022
And the sky’s the limit if you’re one of those wasteful lowlife junkies who needs support with drug addiction.
When we clapped for our NHS, it was never intended to be a round of applause for its grand finale.
Covid testing in a cost of living crisis
Aside from concerns about a crumbling welfare state, there’s also the fact that a lot of low-income people simply won’t be able to afford access to Covid testing, whether it’s LFD or PCR.
Look twice at the price of just about anything and you’ll see we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis with gas, food and fuel all getting more expensive.
The current cost of a four-pack of lateral flow tests is roughly £17 – that’s £4.25 each.
Use one of those each day before you go into work – as we’ve been advised to do – and that’s an extra twenty quid a week.
Twenty quid less for millennials who are desperately saving to get themselves on the property ladder.
Twenty quid less for pensioners who can barely afford to leave the house.
And twenty quid less for single parents who are deciding whether to feed their kids or keep them warm at night.
Before making any decisions we need to take a step back and decide what kind of country we want to live in.
And I don’t like to think about where scrapping free Covid tests might take us.
Matteo Bell is a live news reporter for The Courier.
