Fury as 5,200 military personnel self-isolate
Government are complacent: MPs
THOUSANDS of military personnel are absent from work because they are selfisolating, official figures have revealed.
About 5,200 armed forces and reservist personnel are quarantining after being exposed to someone infected with Covid-19, the All-Party Parliamentary Group has said.
The statistics, revealed in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Baroness Masham, also show that 55,000 military personnel have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19.
The figures come just days after a major coronavirus outbreak struck the Royal Navy’s carrier strike group, with almost half of the seven British warships hit by positive cases – including Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which has seen at least 100 doublejabbed crew infected.
MPs on the cross-party group said the government is showing ‘shocking complacency’ by failing to set out a plan to protect troops from the virus, and demanded that ministers clarify what is being done to prevent their roadmap threatening the UK’s national security.
They also raised concerns that unvaccinated military personnel are being put at risk of developing long Covid, which is known to impact otherwise young and healthy people.
Layla Moran MP, chairman of the APPG on coronavirus, said: ‘The government’s failure to keep Covid cases under control is now threatening the readiness of our armed forces.
‘Ministers must explain what they are doing to address the risks posed by their roadmap to our nation
al security. Urgent action is needed before the number of servicemen required to selfisolate rises even further.’
The latest figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that 9,502 armed forces personnel have tested positive for Covid as of June 25, 2021, up 346 from two weeks previously.
A specialist recovery programme set up by the MoD for military personnel suffering from the impact of long Covid has so far treated almost 200 patients
Clive Lewis MP, vice chairman of the APPG on coronavirus, said: ‘‘It is deeply worrying that so many of our armed forces remain unvaccinated, putting them at risk of getting sick and developing long Covid. The government is showing shocking complacency by failing to set out a clear plan to protect them from the virus.’