Matt Hancock reveals he is isolating after being 'pinged' by NHS app - Daily Mail

Matt Hancock reveals he is isolating after being 'pinged' by NHS coronavirus app - after he was TWICE pictured out in London park despite PM's national plea to 'stay at home' last weekend

• Matt Hancock has revealed that he is self-isolating after being 'pinged by the NHS coronavirus app last night
• The Health Secretary announced that he will be staying at home 'and not leaving at all' until Sunday
• Mr Hancock was spotted out at busy London parks twice over the weekend playing rugby with his children 
• Were you at the London park with Matt Hancock over the last weekend? Email tips@dailymail.com 

By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline

Published: 09:35 GMT, 19 January 2021 | Updated: 10:25 GMT, 19 January 2021

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Matt Hancock today announced he is self-isolating after being 'pinged' by the NHS app - days after he was spotted out twice in busy London parks.

The Health Secretary said he will be staying at home until Sunday after receiving the notification. Mr Hancock had Covid last year, but even those who have been infected before must isolate.  

He tweeted today: 'Last night I was alerted by the @NHSCovid19app to self isolate so I'll be staying at home & not leaving at all until Sunday. We all have a part to play in getting this virus under control.'

Mr Hancock was spotted out in busy London parks twice over the weekend playing rugby with his sons, despite Boris Johnson entreating the public to stay at home as much as possible. Taking daily exercise is permitted.

However, as his isolation is scheduled to end on Sunday and the standard quarantine period is 10 days it appears his contact must have happened before then - most likely Thursday. 

Mr Hancock hosted a press conference last night with medical chiefs Susan Hopkins and Stephen Powis. Under the rules, they are not expected to have to self-isolate unless Mr Hancock is confirmed as positive with the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he will be staying at home until Sunday after receiving the notification

Mr Hancock was spotted out in a busy London park over the weekend playing rugby with his sons

The Cabinet minister was spotted covered in mud in a London park near his home on Saturday (pictured) and Sunday 

He hosted a press conference last night with medical chiefs Susan Hopkins (left) and Stephen Powis (right)

Why DOES Matt Hancock need to self-isolate if he's had Covid before? And does his family need to stay at home?

Even though Matt Hancock was struck down with Covid last April, the Health Secretary must still self-isolate after being 'pinged' by the NHS app.

Official Test and Trace guidance says coronavirus survivors 'probably have some immunity' against the disease, which would theoretically protect them from being struck down again.

But scientists have yet to prove exactly how long this lasts for, meaning they can't be sure that Mr Hancock — or other people who have already beaten the illness — won't get re-infected. 

Public Health England researchers last week claimed most Covid survivors are unlikely to catch the illness again for at least five months. 

But the PHE academics — who studied thousands of NHS workers — found 44 reinfections in 6,600 volunteers with antibodies, saying some survivors can still catch the illness again. 

And experts claimed even those who are immune may still carry the virus in their nose and throat and therefore have a risk of spreading it to others.

Professor Susan Hopkins, one of PHE's top officials, said the findings proved it was 'crucial that everyone continues to follow the rules'. 

WHAT ARE THE SELF-ISOLATION RULES FOR THE NHS APP?

Mr Hancock's family will only have to self-isolate with him if he gets a cough, fever or loses his sense of smell or taste, NHS guidance says. 

If he develops symptoms, he must get tested. Anyone he lives with must also stay-at-home until he has received his swab result. 

If it came back negative, Mr Hancock's family would then be allowed to leave quarantine. 

But if his result was positive, anyone he lives with must self-isolate for 10 days from when his symptoms first began. 

The PHE study found the two patients who had 'probable reinfections' both experienced less severe symptoms the second time round.  

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The app alert is trigger when it detects you have come into close contact with someone who later tests positive, but it is understood Mr Hancock does not know that was.

Mr Hancock will not be taking a test as he has no symptoms, although even if he was negative he would still be required to self-isolate. 

Mr Johnson - who had coronavirus at the same time as Mr Hancock last spring - has also since been forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with a Tory MP it later emerged was infected.   

In a video posted on Twitter from his home, Mr Hancock said: 'Last night I was pinged by the NHS coronavirus app, so that means I'll be self-isolating at home, not leaving the house at all until Sunday.

'This self-isolation is perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing because I know from the app I've been in close contact with somebody who has tested positive and this is how we break the chains of transmission.

'So you must follow these rules like I'm going to. I've got to work from home for the next six days, and together, by doing this, by following this, and all the other panoply of rules that we've had to put in place, we can get through this and beat this virus.'

The news emerged as new figures showed around one in eight people in private households in England had been infected with coronavirus by December 2020.

This is up from an estimated one in 11 people in November and one in 14 in October, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figures are the proportion of the population who are likely to have tested positive for antibodies to Covid-19, based on blood test results from a sample of people aged 16 and over.

The ONS also found 'substantial variation' between regions in England, with 17% of people in private households in Yorkshire & the Humber estimated to have tested positive for antibodies in December, compared with 5% in south-west England.

Meanwhile, SAGE has raised fears millions of people could start to ignore coronavirus restrictions once they have been vaccinated.

Government scientists advising Boris Johnson fear that many people will 'probably abandon' social distancing and lockdown rules once they have had the jab.

More than 4million Britons have now had a Covid vaccine and ministers believe they are on track to hit the 13.9million target by February 15, which could spell an end to the endless cycle of restrictions. Whitehall insiders hope most adults will have been inoculated by the end of June.

The problem was highlighted as police revealed they have handed out nearly 30,000 fines to lockdown flouters in England, taking the total to more than £6million.

Minutes from a Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) meeting, seen by The Telegraph, cite a survey which estimates just under a third of people will adhere to the restrictions less strictly once they have had a vaccine, while 11 per cent will 'probably no longer follow the rules.'

The minutes from the December 17 meeting state: 'There is a risk that changes in behaviour will offset the benefits of vaccination, particularly in the early months of vaccine rollout.'

Boris Johnson - who had coronavirus at the same time as Mr Hancock last spring - has also since been forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with a Tory MP it later emerged was infected 

Matt Hancock tonight revealed more than 4million Britons have now had a coronavirus vaccine, amid mounting claims that a 'postcode lottery' has left vulnerable people in certain areas unprotected

Ministers are pressurising their own Government to end the vaccine postcode lottery amid fears the most vulnerable in some areas are being left behind

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2021-01-19 09:35:00Z
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