Health minister Dorries latest to be diagnosed with the virus
Politician involved in legislation to tackle the outbreak is now self-isolating while colleagues will face tests
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A HEALTH minister who attended a reception at No10 with Boris Johnson has had coronavirus diagnosed and is self- isolating, it emerged last night.
Nadine Dorries, who has met hundreds of people as part of her duties, became ill last Friday, but was not confirmed with the virus until yesterday evening. It is not known who infected Ms Dorries who has been involved in drawing up legislation to tackle coronavirus and has been working in Parliament and the Department of Health and Social Care for the past week.
Experts believe people infected can carry the virus up to five days before symptoms, and last night Public Health England officials were seeking to trace anyone she had been in contact with her, including MPS. Any who have displayed similar symptoms will be tested.
Ms Dorries, 62, met hundreds of people last week, including a large number of MPS, and attended a conference outside Westminster. On Thursday, she attended a Downing Street event hosted by Mr Johnson who may now be tested for the virus.
Ms Dorries said last night: “I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus. As soon as I was informed, I took all the advised precautions, and have been self isolating at home.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s biggest banks have announced mortgage “payment holidays” for homeowners affected by the outbreak. BS, TSB and Nationwide last night said they would suspend mortgage payments for up to three months, amid fears the virus could plunge the UK into recession. The banks’ announcement came ahead of today’s Budget, which will include a package of measures to limit the economic impact of the epidemic.
Treasury sources last night welcomed the plan to give homeowners mortgage payment holidays, which they said was the banks’ initiative.
Officials at No11 have also been holding talks with business groups about pausing business rates to provide relief to small companies affected by the virus, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The issue has been raised in meetings between the Treasury and the Confederation of British Industry. The Chancellor has been urged to halt business rates payments for firms in crisis.
The Treasury is already expected to announce plans today to underwrite bank loans in order to encourage lending to affected firms. Further measures could include a “hardship fund” which would give cash handouts to businesses that are refused bank loans.
The NHS has announced it is expanding testing for the virus, with up to 10,000 patients being tested every day. As of last night, 383 people were in- fected in the UK, and a sixth patient died after testing positive for the virus.
Until now, the NHS has only had capacity for 2,000 tests a day, with some patients complaining it has taken nine days to get their results.
Responding to fears that public transport was helping to spread the virus
Iwouldn’t want to speak too soon. After all, I may think very differently in six months. Assuming, of course, that I’m still here in six months. But, so far at least, Matt Hancock has been approaching this crisis in what seems like a sensible way. It isn’t just the virus that has to be contained – it’s the temptation to panic. And, to date, the Health Secretary has been reassuringly calm and clear.
This hasn’t always been the case. In the past, and in particular during his brief campaign for the Tory leadership last summer, Mr Hancock suffered from an unusual affliction: his face often appeared to contradict what his lips were saying. His voice would sound confident, bouncy, Tiggerishly upbeat – and yet, at the same time, his face would look so worried. As he spoke, his eyes would widen, his brow would furrow, and his eyebrows would leap clean off the top of his head – as if they were listening to their owner’s speech with mounting alarm, and were unable to believe what they were hearing.
At last, though, face and voice find themselves in firm agreement: things are serious. And Mr Hancock has been giving a serious response. He has, it seems, been listening to experts, deferring to their knowledge, and trusting in their guidance. Which, for a member of this government, represents a bold and exciting development.
Yesterday in the Commons, Mr
Hancock was again at the Dispatch Box, taking questions from MPS. On all sides the tone was sober, reasonable and constructive: no one was piling furiously into the Government for “not doing enough”. Not yet, anyway.
Preet Kaur Gill (Lab, Birmingham Edgbaston) urged the Health Secretary to ensure that low earners would receive statutory sick pay, should they need to enter self-isolation (at present, the lower earnings limit is £118 a week). Mr Hancock assured her that he would do so, and that the Government’s emergency legislation would cover the self-employed.
“Everybody will get support,” he said, “so they aren’t penalised for doing the right thing.”
So that was good to hear. There was, however, one mildly unsettling moment.
It came when Edward Argar, a junior health minister, rose to take a question from a Tory backbencher.
“We have announced,” he began – then touched his nose.
“Two point seven billion pounds …” He again touched his nose. “Of funding for six …”
Mr Argar gulped, touched his throat – and then loudly coughed. Across the chamber, MPS tittered, nervously.
Mr Argar paused to take a sip of water.
“Beg pardon,” he said, touching his throat again. “Six new hospital schemes. One hundred million pounds of seed funding …”
Again he touched his nose. A few words later, he touched it once more – before concluding his remarks with another cough.
Not that I mean to worry anyone. I’m sure Mr Argar remembered to scrub his hands thoroughly after leaving the chamber. And I bet everyone else did, too.