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National
Sophie Finnegan

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak pinged by Covid app ahead of Freedom Day- but won't isolate

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have both been pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app ahead of Freedom day but won't have to self-isolate.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer were contacted by NHS Test and Trace as contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid.

However, they will not have to self-isolate and will instead be participating in a daily contact testing pilot to allow them to continue to work from Downing Street, No 10 has confirmed.

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It comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid tested positive for Covid-19 just two days before Freedom day and had to self-isolate.

The Prime Minister is reported to have had a lengthy meeting with Mr Javid at No 10 on Friday.

A No 10 spokesman said: "They will be conducting only essential government business during this period."

Coronavirus rules are set to be axed on Monday- despite warnings that the NHS faces a "serious situation" with surging infection and hospitalisation numbers.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly said he wants the lifting of lockdown on so-called Freedom day to be "irreversible", but in recent days ministers have begun to sound more cautious.

While social-distancing rules in England will come to an end, Government guidelines advise face masks should still be worn in enclosed spaces such as in shops and on public transport, while pubs and bars should be table service only.

In the North East, case numbers are still sky-high especially in South Tyneside, which has the highest infection rate in England, with around one in every 70 people are currently infected.

And North East councils said they will be keeping safety measures in place after lockdown restrictions end on Monday.

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