Tuesday, January 04, 2022
Johnson's laissez-faire attitude to Covid has extended the pandemic
With omicron cases continuing to rise across the UK, it remains incredible that Boris Johnson is still not taking the most rudimentary steps to try and reduce its spread, measures that are already in place in Wales and Scotland.
From the start, he has been disengaged from the process of controlling this pandemic: failing to attend Cobra meetings; undermining public confidence in actions his government is taking by operating a one rule for us, another for them regime; delaying decisions on public health measuress; and failing to get a grip on the supply of key PPE or on the issues around care homes.
Today's Independent has a further story that illustrates the Prime Minister's casual and irresponsible approach to this virus. They say that Johnson is facing fresh questions about alleged Covid rule-breaking amid claims he failed to self-isolate last January after coming into close contact with a Downing Street aide who later tested positive for the infection:
The prime minister stood near No 10's videographer on 31 December 2020 while recording his official new year message as the UK was about to be hit with its second wave of the virus, sources told the Daily Mirror.
The videographer tested positive for Covid after the message was recorded.
They informed No 10 officials and other staff members in the room were asked to self-isolate for 10 days, but the PM was not.
A Downing Street spokesperson insisted that Mr Johnson did not break any regulations because social distancing measures were followed throughout the recording.
But photos of the recording posted on the image-sharing website Flickr may raise questions about whether or not Mr Johnson did in fact maintain a two-metre distance between himself and the videographer, as set out in official guidance.
A source told the Mirror that the videographer, who was not wearing a face mask, stood “face-to-face” with the PM for around 15 minutes The source also suggested Mr Johnson and the aide stood less than 2m apart during the recording.
Official guidance at the time outlined that anybody who came within two metres, for more than 15 minutes, of somebody who later tested positive for Covid were required to self-isolate.
Less than a week after the recording took place England was plunged into its third national lockdown as Covid cases soared and hospitals across the country began to fill up with the sickest patients.
All this matters, of course, because Johnson is the one making the rules. If he is seen as not keeping them, then how can he expects others to do so. When the inquiry into the pandemic gets underway, let's hope that the Prime Minister's role in extending it is looked into.
Today's Independent has a further story that illustrates the Prime Minister's casual and irresponsible approach to this virus. They say that Johnson is facing fresh questions about alleged Covid rule-breaking amid claims he failed to self-isolate last January after coming into close contact with a Downing Street aide who later tested positive for the infection:
The prime minister stood near No 10's videographer on 31 December 2020 while recording his official new year message as the UK was about to be hit with its second wave of the virus, sources told the Daily Mirror.
The videographer tested positive for Covid after the message was recorded.
They informed No 10 officials and other staff members in the room were asked to self-isolate for 10 days, but the PM was not.
A Downing Street spokesperson insisted that Mr Johnson did not break any regulations because social distancing measures were followed throughout the recording.
But photos of the recording posted on the image-sharing website Flickr may raise questions about whether or not Mr Johnson did in fact maintain a two-metre distance between himself and the videographer, as set out in official guidance.
A source told the Mirror that the videographer, who was not wearing a face mask, stood “face-to-face” with the PM for around 15 minutes The source also suggested Mr Johnson and the aide stood less than 2m apart during the recording.
Official guidance at the time outlined that anybody who came within two metres, for more than 15 minutes, of somebody who later tested positive for Covid were required to self-isolate.
Less than a week after the recording took place England was plunged into its third national lockdown as Covid cases soared and hospitals across the country began to fill up with the sickest patients.
All this matters, of course, because Johnson is the one making the rules. If he is seen as not keeping them, then how can he expects others to do so. When the inquiry into the pandemic gets underway, let's hope that the Prime Minister's role in extending it is looked into.
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The inquiry into the pandemic MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRAG ON so that it is does not crawl on into history so that the establishment can bury this disaster of incompetence.
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