UK PM Johnson Exposed to COVID, Confined to Office Work

World

July 18th, 7:53am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives an update on relaxing restrictions imposed on the country during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at a news conference inside the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain July 12, 2021. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak will be limited to working from their offices and subject to daily COVID-19 testing after being identified as a contact of someone who tested positive for the virus. Health minister Sajid Javid on Saturday said he had tested positive for COVID-19. “The Prime Minister and Chancellor have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace as contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid," Reuters reported a a statement from Johnsons's Downing Street office as saying on Sunday. Typically, anyone identified as a contact by the tracing scheme would be required by law to self isolate for 10 days. However, the government's two most senior ministers will instead take part in a pilot study that allows them to continue working from their offices, and only self-isolate when not working. “They will be participating in the daily contact testing pilot to allow them to continue to work from Downing Street," Downing Street said. “They will be conducting only essential government business during this period.”

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3086326/uk-pm-johnson-exposed-covid-confined-office-work