Testing times: how UK government fell short, again and again

A timeline of what was promised and what has been delivered so far

In mid-March, the World Health Organization had a simple message to countries on how to tackle the spread of coronavirus: test, test, test. In the chaotic months of mixed messaging and policy U-turns that followed, the UK government developed a chronic habit of over-promising and under-delivering, not least when it came to testing.

We look back at the major events in the buildup of the UK's testing regime, what was promised and what has happened since.