Nicola Sturgeon says 'bear with us' after testing website sends Scots to England

She said officials were “still trying to understand” the technical issues that had affected the system earlier today.

Nicola Sturgeon has urged the public to “bear with us” amid reports of the coronavirus test booking system sending Scots to sites in England.

There have been multiple reports of technical issues with the booking system, which is run by the UK government, including people in Edinburgh being told that their nearest testing location is in Newcastle, in the northeast of England.

Speaking at her daily press briefing, Scotland’s First Minister said there had been “unprecedented demand” put on the service in Scotland over the weekend, and said her officials were “still trying to understand” what had gone wrong.

Nicola Sturgeon has urged the public to “bear with us” amid reports of the coronavirus test booking system sending Scots to sites in England. (Photo by Fraser Bremner – Pool/Getty Images)

“There may have been some technical issue with people in Scotland, instead of being directed to the next available spot in Scotland, were directed erroneously to testing centres in England.

“We’re working to ensure that is resolved,” she added.

Ms Sturgeon insisted the testing system in Scotland was “working well”, but asked Scots to “bear with us” during “periods of high demand.”

She said she would receive an update from officials after the briefing, and said she would share any further information as soon as possible.

The UK government has been approached for comment.

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