Coronavirus strikes UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his health secretary and his chief medical
adviser
March 27, 2020
London (CNN)The UK's response to the coronavirus pandemic was upended on
Friday when the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his top health minister tested
positive for the infection, and his chief medical adviser self-isolated after
displaying symptoms.
Johnson announced his diagnosis in a remarkable video posted on
social media, in which he said he would continue to lead the UK government's
efforts from self-isolation in an apartment in Downing Street. Minutes later,
his secretary of state for health, Matt Hancock, also said he had the virus and
would work from home.
The Prime Minister said he'd been tested on the advice of
England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty. A matter of hours later, Whitty
said he was going into self-isolation after displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
The extraordinary developments raised the question of how many
officials leading the UK's response to coronavirus had themselves been exposed
to it. Downing Street, the center of power in the UK, is a maze of cramped
offices and narrow corridors, making it almost impossible for everyone working
there to practice the government's own advice on social distancing.
On Thursday evening, after displaying symptoms but before
learning the result of his test, Johnson appeared outside 10 Downing Street
with his chief finance minister, Rishi Sunak, taking part in a national moment
of appreciation for the UK's health service workers. A Downing Street
spokesperson said the pair were careful to remain at a safe distance.
Johnson was a late convert to the strict measures now in place
in the UK. Only a few weeks ago, he boasted of shaking the hands of coronavirus
patients in hospital, and the UK faced criticism for a more cautious approach
to the restrictive measures adopted by its European neighbors.
"Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and
tested positive for coronavirus," Johnson said in his Friday Twitter post. "I am now
self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via
video-conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this."
In a video, Johnson said he was experiencing a temperature and a
persistent cough, which are key symptoms of the virus. He added that he was
working from home and self-isolating. "But be in no doubt that I can
continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern technology, to communicate with all
my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus," he said.
Johnson will work in isolation from his four-bedroom apartment
in Downing Street. The infection also raises concerns over Johnson's fiancee,
Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant, and the myriad of other officials and advisers
who work in close quarters in Downing Street.
Whitty, who has appeared alongside Johnson at many of the daily
press conferences held at Downing Street in the past two weeks, said he would
spend the next week at home. "After experiencing symptoms compatible with
COVID-19 last night, in line with the guidance, I will be self-isolating at
home for the next seven days. I will be continuing to advise the Government on
the medical response to Coronavirus, supported by my deputies," Whitty
wrote on his Twitter page.
The announcements come just over a week after a top
government adviser on the virus, Neil Ferguson, said he believed he had been
infected and warned: "There is a lot of Covid-19 in Westminster,"
referring to the area of London that is home to the UK Parliament and other
government premises.
Ferguson had met with the Prime Minister, as well as Whitty, and
Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance. It was unclear, however, where
Johnson may have contracted the virus.
Days earlier, the heir to the UK throne, Prince Charles,
revealed that he had contracted the virus and was isolating himself at his
estate in Scotland.
Johnson had been criticized for continuing to shake people's
hands in public while government advice was to keep around two meters away from
other people. The Prime Minister, Whitty and Vallance have been giving regular
in-person press conferences to journalists on the virus after meetings.
Johnson will work in isolation from his four-bedroom apartment
in Downing Street. The infection also raises concerns over Johnson's fiancee,
Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant, and the myriad of other officials and advisers
who work in close quarters in Downing Street.
Whitty, who has appeared alongside Johnson at many of the daily
press conferences held at Downing Street in the past two weeks, said he would
spend the next week at home. "After experiencing symptoms compatible with
COVID-19 last night, in line with the guidance, I will be self-isolating at
home for the next seven days. I will be continuing to advise the Government on
the medical response to Coronavirus, supported by my deputies," Whitty
wrote on his Twitter page.
The announcements come just over a week after a top
government adviser on the virus, Neil Ferguson, said he believed he had been
infected and warned: "There is a lot of Covid-19 in Westminster,"
referring to the area of London that is home to the UK Parliament and other
government premises.
Ferguson had met with the Prime Minister, as well as Whitty, and
Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance. It was unclear, however, where
Johnson may have contracted the virus.
Days earlier, the heir to the UK throne, Prince Charles,
revealed that he had contracted the virus and was isolating himself at his
estate in Scotland.
Johnson had been criticized for continuing to shake people's
hands in public while government advice was to keep around two meters away from
other people. The Prime Minister, Whitty and Vallance have been giving regular
in-person press conferences to journalists on the virus after meetings.
His government has also come under pressure to test for the
virus more widely and to provide WHO standard protective gear for doctors and
nurses across the country.
In the event that Johnson is unable to fulfill all his duties as
prime minister, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would be expected to stand in
his place. Raab previously served as Brexit Secretary under the government led
by Theresa May. He stepped down after the UK and EU agreed on a draft Brexit
deal, which he claimed had "fatal flaws."
Johnson last met with Queen Elizabeth II on March 11, Buckingham
Palace said Friday. "The Queen last saw the PM on the 11th March and is following
all the appropriate advice with regards to her welfare," the palace said
in a statement.
British health authorities announced another 181 fatalities on
Friday, bringing the death toll to 759. More than 14,500 infections have been
recorded, but as the UK is not testing widely, true infection numbers are
likely to be much higher.
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