News / Politics

Cummings' suspected infection is latest blow to the government

Monday, 30 March 2020 4:09 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 30 March 2020 4:11 PM ]

Notorious for his bruising encounters with the media, Cummings is reportedly in quarantine

In the latest blow to the government it has been reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief strategist, Dominic Cummings, is showing symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Widely regarded as the most controversial man in British politics, Cummings is credited with masterminding both Johnson’s Brexit and general election strategies.

The media-shy Cummings is reportedly in self-isolation after developing COVID-19 symptoms over the weekend. However, a Downing Street spokesman says that Cummings has yet to be tested for the coronavirus.

Cummings, who is widely viewed as Johnson’s right-hand man, is reportedly working remotely during his quarantine period.

Cummings’s possible contraction of the COVID-19 disease comes in the wake of Johnson’s confirmed positive test for the coronavirus.

It also comes on the heels of a string of confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus infection at the highest reaches of government, including health secretary, Matt Hancock, Scottish secretary, Alister Jack and England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty.

The virus hasn’t spared the royal family either, with heir to the throne, Prince Charles testing positive last week.

The infection of so many leading members of the establishment has come to symbolize Britain’s haphazard approach to the management of the coronavirus pandemic.

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The British establishment has been personally touched by the coronavirus, as demonstrated by Prince Charles

The infection – and in some cases incapacitation – of leading figures unfolds against the backdrop of nation-wide lockdown conditions which is testing both the patience and resilience of the British public.