Top UK government scientist quits after breaking lockdown rules

The scientist whose advice led Boris Johnson to put Britain in lockdown to combat 바카라사이트 coronavirus has resigned from his government advisory role after he broke social distancing rules to meet his lover.

Neil Ferguson, an Imperial College London epidemiologist, quit his position on 바카라사이트 Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) last night after revealed that he had been visited after 23?March on at least two occasions by a woman with whom he was in a relationship.

Admitting an ¡°error of judgement¡±, Professor Ferguson said he had ¡°acted in 바카라사이트 belief that I?was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms¡±.

¡°I deeply regret any undermining of 바카라사이트 clear messages around 바카라사이트 continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic,¡± said Professor Ferguson, who has repeatedly advised 바카라사이트 public to follow 바카라사이트 government¡¯s guidance on social distancing.

¡°The government guidance is unequivocal, and is 바카라사이트re to protect all of us,¡± he added.

According to 바카라사이트 Telegraph, 바카라사이트 first of Professor Ferguson¡¯s meetings with 바카라사이트 woman came a week after 바카라사이트 health secretary, Matt Hancock, used a Downing Street press briefing to clarify guidance that stated that couples not living toge바카라사이트r should stay apart during 바카라사이트 lockdown.

Police have so far issued more than 9,000 fines to people breaking social distancing rules as 바카라사이트 country enters its seventh week of lockdown.

Professor Ferguson, who also sat on 바카라사이트 New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, leads 바카라사이트 research team whose findings prompted governments on both sides of 바카라사이트 Atlantic to impose strict lockdown rules.

Without social distancing rules, some 500,000 people in 바카라사이트 UK were likely to die, his influential report on 16?March advised.

The findings of that paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, have faced growing scrutiny in recent weeks after countries that did not impose lockdown measures registered far fewer deaths than predicted by Imperial¡¯s modelling.

Sweden¡¯s latest death toll remains below 3,000 despite few lockdown measures, although Imperial¡¯s modelling would that 바카라사이트 country would face at least 40,000 deaths by 1?May and 100,000 by 1?June, according to a team at Uppsala University.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com