Dominic Cummings is self-isolating after showing coronavirus symptoms.
The government adviser was seen running out of Number 10 last week after Boris Johnson confirmed he had tested positive for the virus.
Matt Hancock is also in self-isolation along with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty.
All had been in close contact with eachother as the government responds to the escalating crisis.
Government’s response
Cummings reportedly led the government’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic with a strategy that protected the economy and put the elderly at risk.
According to Sunday Times reports the unelected advisor pushed a discredited “herd immunity” response, saying the prerogative was to “protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad.”
Herd immunity
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, announced in mid-March that the UK would be taking a different route to other countries in imposing gradual restrictions to allow “enough of us who are going to get mild illness to become immune”.
The strategy was reversed after a study from Imperial College London showed how badly hospitals would be overwhelmed, with the Prime Minister ordering all pubs, restaurants, gyms, and cinemas to close.
But the delay could have been costly.
“Thousands will die because of his apathy and arrogance”
David Lammy tweeted that “this must be the last slogan Dominic Cummings gets to use to govern Britain”, adding that “thousands will die because of his apathy and arrogance”.
MP Stewart McDonald called for Cummings to go, while James O’Brien said it confirmed our worst fears about how the government is being run.
And there it is. Worst fears apparently confirmed. Every single time you told yourself it couldn’t all be down to the pound shop Machiavelli, that nobody could allow these life & death decisions to be taken on the fly, a little voice piped up to remind you who was Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/yTx48S5lvZ
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) March 22, 2020
Related: First Covid-19 death of frontline NHS hospital worker confirmed
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