Andy Burnham has blasted Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s U-turn over self-isolating — saying it ‘is nowhere near enough’.
The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester tweeted after a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed Mr Johnson and Sunak would self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who had the virus — despite initially saying the pair would take part in a daily contact testing pilot not widely available to the public.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor held lengthy talks with Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Friday.
READ MORE: Current Covid wave may not peak until September, government minister warns
That evening, Mr Javid said he felt ‘groggy’, and completed both a lateral flow and PCR test — which both came back positive for Covid-19.
That prompted NHS Test and Trace to ‘ping’ the Prime Minister and Chancellor, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed.
They added: "The Prime Minister has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace to say he is a contact of someone with Covid.
"He was at Chequers when contacted by Test and Trace and will remain there to isolate. He will not be taking part in the testing pilot.
"He will continue to conduct meetings with ministers remotely.
"The Chancellor has also been contacted and will also isolate as required and will not be taking part in the pilot."
In response, Andy Burnham tweeted that the government needed ‘much more grip’ as many legal Covid restrictions come to end on Monday (July 19).
“I’m sorry but this U-turn is nowhere near enough,” he said.
“As we go into tomorrow, much more grip, clarity and leadership is needed if we are to manage the risks.
“Ministers should start NOW and make a clear statement that masks will continue to be mandatory on all public transport.”
Recently, the Mayor has said he wants mask-wearing to stay after ‘freedom day’, and is ‘strongly encouraging’ public transport users in the city-region to wear face coverings.
The relaxation of rules comes amid a rising number of cases and hospitalisations in Greater Manchester — with one borough, Stockport, seeing its highest ever infection rate this week .
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has also suggested the current wave may not end until early September.
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