Coronavirus in Worthing: Why it’s such a testing time for our columnist...

First, my husband tested positive, and then, eight days later – just when I dared to think the rest of us might be in the clear – the dreaded two lines popped up on my daughter’s lateral flow test.

We’d all been doing them daily since my husband got it, and I’d become accustomed to them being negative. It almost seemed a bit of a formality as his isolation period drew to a close. So on seeing a positive result, I initially felt quite shocked and then, irrationally, a bit cross.

Assuming the PCR test my daughter just did at the Brooklands drive-though centre in Worthing is positive (a very easy experience, by the way, and the staff were friendly and helpful), and she stays well and symptom-free, then we will –shudder – have to go back to the dark days of home schooling. That’s definitely not one of 2020’s best memories – bloomin’ virus.

Also, just when I thought the rigorous regular testing schedule of two small people who very much don’t want to be tested could be scaled down, we’re now firmly back in the testing zone for another ten days or more.

Is there anything more stressful than taking a three-year-old for a PCR test, and trying to get them to sit still while you repeatedly jab a cotton-tipped weapon towards their face (as I had to do a couple of months ago when my son had a temperature), all while watched by a member of testing centre staff who is powerless to help you? I’m not convinced there is.

No amount of bribery (my favourite parenting technique) could convince him it was a good idea, so I spent 20 minutes practically rolling around the test centre floor while getting increasingly hot and being on the verge of tears.

That scarring experience prompted me to opt for a home PCR test for him last week, but it was still far from easy. And now I get to do it again – hooray!

And having had my daughter sneeze directly into my face as I tested her at the test centre (swabbing someone else’s nose sure is tickly), I wait on the edge of my seat to see if I, too, will be struck down. Please send Covid-free vibes. Oh, and tips for easy, indoor fun would be much appreciated, too!