BBC Breakfast: film students taking lateral flow tests

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Students across England are set to return to school this week as a new term begins after the Christmas break. Secondary schools in the country are conducting coronavirus tests on students on-site before they head back into classrooms. BBC Breakfast sent reporter Jayne McCubbin to a school in Stoke-on-Trent to see how they were managing with the Covid measures. However, many viewers were angered by the segment, taking to Twitter to complain as children were filmed taking the tests live on-air.

Jayne began: “Lilly-May and Bethany have agreed, live on television this morning, to do their Lateral Flow Test for us.

“Go on girls!” she exclaimed, encouraging the teenagers.

Jayne explained: “This is going to be happening in around 3,500 secondary schools in England from today.

“Many of those schools start in a staggered return into the classroom.

“But, they’re going to need this negative result for the kids to get back into the classroom.

“Honestly it’s bad enough to do it normally, even worse to do it live on telly,” she remarked.

“Well done there Bethany. How is that feeling?” Jayne asked a student.

“Tickly,” Bethany replied, upon completing her lateral flow test.

“Not very pleasant,” Jayne added, with Bethany agreeing: “No.”

However, the student confirmed she had become used to doing the tests over time.

Moving on to speak to another pupil Jayne said: “Lilly-May thank you for doing that live on-air. How was it?”

“It’s bearable,” Lilly-May laughed.

“I think that’s the best way of putting it,” Jayne remarked.

Upon watching the live footage, some viewers took to Twitter to hit out at BBC Breakfast, with many suggesting it was “unnecessary” to film the students taking the tests.

“Isn’t taking a camera crew to school an unnecessary contact? #bbcbreakfast,” @CharliewWood questioned.

@Tommytipps_ fumed: “Yeah!! Let’s get the kids to come on live TV to do a test, how RIDICULOUS! #bbcbreakfast.”

“This reporting is totally unnecessary! You’re making way too much of the kids going back to school. Good god! #BBCBreakfast,” @BevFlannery added.

@Nads1704 wrote: “My teenage child has been testing at school regularly – why are you making this into a hysterical thing? Testing has been happening at high schools and also some children in England have been wearing masks throughout! #bbcbreakfast.”

“#bbcbreakfast filming kids taking covid tests like it’s A level results,” @emmanuel_gold5 Tweeted.

“#bbcbreakfast Do we actually need 2 young students doing a #Covid #Omicron #LateralFlowTest live on air to know how it works. Only been under #Covid_19 #COVID19 rules for 2 years #GiveUsABreak,” @TheeSeedman said.

BBC Breakfast airs weekdays at 6am on BBC One.

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