A Top British Scientist ’s Predictions Helped Spur the Country’s Coronavirus Lockdown. He Resigned After His Girlfriend Flouted Social Distancing Rules

(LONDON) — Britain’s health secretary said Wednesday that national lockdown rules were “for everyone,” after one of the government’s key scientific advisers quit for receiving secret visits from his girlfriend amid the coronavirus pandemic. Imperial College epidemiologist Neil Ferguson developed models that predicted hundreds of thousands would die unless the U.K. imposed drastic restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. His advice was key in triggering Britain’s lockdown in March. Under the rules, people are barred from visiting friends and family that they don’t live with. Ferguson quit the government’s scientific advisory panel late Tuesday after the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that a woman he is in a relationship with had crossed London to visit him at his home. Ferguson said in a statement that he had “made an error of judgment and took the wrong course of action.” Read more: Coronavirus Could Hit the U.K. Harder Than Any Other European Country. Here’s What Went Wrong “I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic,” he said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Ferguson was “a very eminent and impressive scientist,” but “took the right decision to resign.” He told Sky News that the social distancing rules “are there for everyone, they are incredibly importan...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 News Desk United Kingdom wire Source Type: news