Hospital speaks out after PM pictured without a face mask during visit
Hospital bosses have spoken out after Boris Johnson was pictured speaking to staff without a face mask.
The prime minister chatted and bumped elbows with masked nurses at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland on Monday morning.
Soon after the photo opportunity, Mr Johnson put a mask on after an aide handed him one.
The PM elbow bumped the nurses without a mask on before an aide reminded him to wear one and handed him a mask
Mr Johnson was then seen without a face covering during a television interview at the hospital.
Members of the public questioned why the prime minister was not wearing a mask when the government advice to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to wear one “in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet”.
Bosses at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said everyone on the official visit was “formally advised and reminded” of the “very clear” mask-wearing rules and information was “included in the written programme”.
They reassured the public that infection prevention and control “has always been and continues to be of utmost priority” in all its hospitals and sites.
The bosses said the prime minister had left a welcome meeting and was walking along a corridor “for a very short period of time without a mask”.
The hospital trust said Mr Johnson did not wear a mask for a short period as he walked down a corridor
“This brief moment was captured on camera,” they said.
“As soon as this was identified he was given a mask and he put it on. The prime minister did wear a mask for the majority of the visit.
“He didn’t have a mask on when he did his media interviews, but this was with agreement with everyone else in the room, who did wear a mask.”
The trust’s bosses apologised “for any upset this has caused” and hoped their statement “helps to clarify the situation”.
The hospital bosses said Mr Johnson wore a mask the rest of the time apart from a news conference where everyone else was wearing one
They added that the hospital rules include mask wearing and other infection prevention and control measures, such as hand-washing, tucking away loose clothing such as ties and having rolled-up sleeves.
Their statement came after Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab insisted on Tuesday that Mr Johnson had followed “all the protocols and procedures” while he was at the hospital.
According to the filing, the DOJ criticized Tornado Cash’s co-founders for inadequate changes to exclude sanctioned addresses.
Google Cloud recently launched a Web3 portal with testnet tools, blockchain datasets, and learning resources for developers, receiving mixed reactions from the crypto industry.
Politics
Rishi Sunak does not rule out July general election – but insists ‘there’ll be a clear choice’ when it comes
Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out holding a general election in July, as speculation remains rife over the timing of the national vote.
The prime minister has repeatedly said his “working assumption” is the election would take place in the second half of this year – with the law stating January 2025 is the latest he could call it.
But while many commentators have predicted an autumn vote, Sky News’ Trevor Phillips put to Mr Sunak that it could mean as early as July.
Analysis: Sunak needs to learn voters aren’t always governed by the logic of the computer
“Well, look, when it comes to a general election, I’ve been very clear about that multiple times,” the prime minister said.
“And again, I’m not going to say anything more than I’ve already said, I’ve been very clear about that.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In his interview – which will air in full on Sunday at 8.30am – Trevor Phillips pushed Mr Sunak five times over whether he would rule out a July general election, but the Conservative leader refused to confirm or deny if it could take place then.
“You’re going to try and draw whatever conclusion you want from what I say,” he said. “I’m going to always try and say the same thing. You should just listen to what I said, [the] same thing I’ve said all year.
“But the point is… there’s a choice when it comes to the general election. And look, over the past week or so… the country can have a very clear sense of what that difference is going to look like.”
Watch live each week on Sunday at 8:30am on Sky channel 501, Freeview 233, Virgin 602, the Sky News website and app or YouTube.
Outlining his recent commitments to overhauling the welfare system, cutting taxes and increasing defence spending, as well as finally getting his Rwanda bill through parliament in an effort to tackle small boat crossings, Mr Sunak said: “That is the substance of what this government is about and what it’s going to do in the future.
“And when the election comes, there’ll be a clear choice, because the Labour Party has tried to frustrate our Rwanda bill, because they don’t believe in stopping the boats, their economic plan will put people’s taxes up.
“They haven’t said that they will invest more in our defence and they certainly don’t agree with reforming our welfare system to support people into work.”
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Labour has said it wants to match the hike in defence spending when the financial circumstances allow, and has promised to scrap the Rwanda bill if it gets into power.
This week, its pre-election focus has been on railways, promising to renationalise train operators and “sweep away” the current “broken” model if the party wins the next election.
Watch Rishi Sunak’s full interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips at 8.30am
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