UK minister apologises for continuing meeting after positive Covid test
A UK health minister has apologised for continuing with a meeting despite being aware she had tested positive for Covid.
Gillian Keegan, the minister for care and mental health, said on Twitter she was in a meeting with three fathers who had lost their daughters to suicide when she received the result of a lateral flow test.
She said she should have “immediately” ended the meeting, and described not doing so as a “mistake” and “an error of judgment”. The Chichester MP said she had told the men the result of the test but stayed on to hear their stories while taking “further precautions”.
She said on Twitter: “Earlier today, ahead of a planned visit I took a precautionary LFD test which gave a positive result. I am now isolating at home and fortunately feel fine.
“When I was told my test was positive I was listening to three fathers who had tragically lost their daughters to suicide. I told them the result and took further precautions but with their consent, I stayed for a short period to hear their stories.
“I should have immediately ended the meeting and on reflection this was an error of judgment on my part.
“I fully recognise the importance of following the letter and spirit of the policies, so want to be upfront about what happened and to apologise for the mistake I made.”
A spokesperson for Keegan’s boss, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, said he had accepted her apology after she had “taken responsibility for her actions” and “continues to support her in her role”.
Keegan has been MP for Chichester since 2017 and was appointed as an education minister in February 2020 by Johnson. In August 2021, she faced criticism for being on holiday in the French Alps while the exam grades crisis unfolded in Britain.
In a September 2021 reshuffle, she was appointed minister for care and mental health. She sparked controversy a month later when she suggested wearing protective face masks had become a form of virtue-signalling.