London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he has tested positive for coronavirus after experiencing “mild symptoms”, becoming the first world leader to announce the infection.
Minutes after Johnson’s announcement, his health secretary Matt Hancock tweeted that he, too, was infected and was in self-isolation.
In a video message posted on Twitter, the 55-year-old Johnson said he will continue to lead the UK government’s response to the deadly virus, which has claimed 578 lives in the country. “Over the last 24 hours, I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” Johnson said on Twitter.
“I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this,” he said.
Hancock, who is a key member of Johnson’s coronavirus “War Cabinet”, said in a video message that he will be self-isolating until Thursday. “Following medical advice, I was advised to test for coronavirus. I’ve tested positive,” Hancock posted on Twitter.
The 41-year-old minister said, “Fortunately for me, the symptoms so far have been very mild so I’ve been able to carry on with the work driving forward the UK response.”
The two announcements sent shockwaves across the top rung of the UK government, with most senior ministers and civil servants in and out of 10 Downing Street as they work to curb the spread of the pandemic.
There are more than 11,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, and 578 people have died – a jump of 100 in a single day on Thursday.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has tested negative for the virus previously after displaying cough symptoms, will be the next in command in case Johnson has to take some time off if he gets more ill.
The news comes just days after it was confirmed that Prince Charles had been diagnosed with COVID-19 but was displaying similarly mild symptoms. Clarence House said the 71-year-old heir to the British throne was self-isolating in Scotland and remained in “good health” as he continued to work from home.
Earlier this week, the prime minister’s spokesperson had confirmed that if Johnson was unwell and unable to work.
“But be in no doubt that I can continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern technology, to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus,” Johnson stressed in the video message posted on his Twitter account.
The other cause for concern within Downing Street quarters would be for Johnson’s pregnant fiancée Carrie Symonds, who is expecting the couple’s child in a few months’ time. It is not known if she would move out of Downing Street to self-isolate separately because pregnant women generally are advised to follow social distancing more stringently, and minimise social contact for up to 12 weeks.
Johnson tried to reassure the British public as he revealed that he had a temperature and a persistent cough as part of the mild symptoms of COVID-19 and stressed that he and the country will “get through it” by applying the measures he had announced earlier this week. (PTI)
