WHO Covid special envoy calls out PM for not wearing a mask during hospital visit
The prime minister has come under fire from the World Health Organisation’s special envoy for Covid-19 after being photographed without a face covering during a hospital visit.
Dr David Nabarro criticised Boris Johnson over pictures of him walking through Hexham General without a mask.
Just wear a mask
He told Sky News:
I’m not sitting on the fence on this one – where you’ve got large amounts of virus being transmitted, everybody should do everything to avoid either getting the virus or inadvertently passing it on.
We know that wearing a face mask reduces the risk, we know that maintaining physical distance reduces the risk, we know that hygiene by regular hand-washing and coughing into your elbow reduces the risk.
Read on...
We should do it all and we should not rely on any one intervention like vaccination on its own.
So, please, would every leader be wearing face masks, particularly when in indoor settings.
This virus is unforgiving and we need to do everything possible to prevent it getting in between us and infecting us.
Dr Nabarro also told the broadcaster:
Perhaps that’s the toughest thing about Covid, is that the responses get politicised – in some places if you wear a mask, you’re taught to belong to a particular political party.
That’s the most regretful thing about the present situation; we all need to be able to do what we’ve got to do, regardless of what politics we adopt.
Not the first time
The latest row came after Johnson was pictured without a mask last week at the COP26 climate change summit sitting alongside 95-year-old environmentalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
A No 10 spokesman earlier said of his visit to Hexham General Hospital: “The Prime Minister followed the Covid measures that were in place throughout his visit, including wearing a mask in all clinical areas. He also took a PCR test before the visit.
“The hospital trust has issued a statement making clear the PM followed its guidelines.”
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
