MATT HANCROCKED
RUGBY-PLAYING HEALTH SECRETARY ISOLATES AGAIN AFTER COVID APP ALERT
MATT HANCOCK is working from home after being ordered back into selfisolation by the NHS app.
The health secretary – pictured playing rugby with his sons in a London park at the weekend – first isolated in March after testing positive for Covid-19 hours after Boris Johnson.
Scientists do not know how long immunity lasts and warned he could transmit the virus to others if he has it.
Mr Hancock – grounded until midnight on Sunday – revealed the news in a video tweet from his home office.
He said he had no symptoms and did not know who triggered his app alert.
‘Self-isolation is perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing because this is how we break the chains of transmission,’ he said.
‘I’ve got to work from home for the next six days, and together, by following this and all the other panoply of rules that we’ve put in place, we can get through this and beat this virus.’ Timings suggest he was in contact with an infected person on Wednesday.
No.10 yesterday defended his rugby session. A spokesman said: ‘People are allowed out to exercise which is what I believe Matt Hancock was doing.’
Ex-chancellor George Osborne has suggested ministers should get priority jabs. He said: ‘It’s a peculiarly British trait that we rightly make vaccinating millions of health workers a priority, but can’t spare a single dose for the health secretary leading the response.’
But Downing Street insisted the Cabinet ‘will take the vaccine when it’s their turn to do so, based on the priority lists that have been published’.
Meanwhile, politicians are being investigated over claims they drank alcohol on Welsh parliament premises four days after a ban on drinks in pubs.
Conservatives Paul Davies, Darren Millar and Nick Ramsay drank together on December 8, BBC Wales reported.
Labour’s Alun Davies was also understood to be involved and has been suspended from the Labour group.