British health minister tests positive for coronavirus
London: UK Health Minister and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has tested positive for coronavirus, raising concerns about the potential spread of the infection among lawmakers as she attended an event hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street last week.
Dorries, 62, the first British MP to be diagnosed with coronavirus, said she has been self-isolating at home, as the government unveiled a 30-billion pound package to tackle the "temporary disruption" from the virus outbreak.
"I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus. As soon as I was informed I took all the advised precautions and have been self-isolating at home," she said in a statement released by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The department said Dorries first showed symptoms last Thursday, the same day she attended an event hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street.
Dorries said that health officials had started tracing people she had been in contact with, and the department and her parliamentary office were closely following its advice.
"Thanks for so many good wishes. It's been pretty rubbish but I hope I'm over the worst of it now," she tweeted.
She said she was worried about her 84-year-old mother who is staying with her.
"More worried about my 84yo mum who is staying with me and began with the cough today. She is being tested tomorrow. Keep safe and keep washing those hands, everyone," tweeted the MP for Bedfordshire.
A former minister called on the government to shut down Parliament as part of its stepped up its preparations to tackle the outbreak.
Rory Stewart, a former UK aid minister and contender for London Mayor against Labour's Sadiq Khan for the May elections, called for Wednesday's Budget to be announced online, even as Indian-origin minister Rishi Sunak began laying out his plans for the economy in the Commons.
"The House of Commons should cease to meet in person. The Budget should be announced online. MPs are at high risk through frequent contacts and large gatherings," Stewart said on Twitter.
"They are in danger of infecting each other in the chamber, and then going on to infect others. Time for Action. Now, he added.
Sunak, who announced the 30-billion pound package to tackle the "temporary disruption" from coronavirus in his maiden Budget, told MPs that the government is doing everything it can to keep the country and people "healthy and financially secure".
"Whatever extra resources our health service needs to cope with extra demand during the coronavirus, will be provided, said Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy.
Opposition Labour's Rachael Maskell revealed she had been advised by the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) 111 helpline to self-isolate following a meeting with Dorries last Thursday, even though she is displaying no symptoms of COVID-19.
"Everybody has got to take the advice of Public Health England and therefore I trust the Prime Minister has also contacted NHS 111," Maskell said, in reference to Dorries' Downing Street visit.
"Really sorry to hear Nadine has tested positive for coronavirus. She has done the right thing by self isolating at home, and both NHS and PHE staff have been brilliant. We all wish her well as she recovers," Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted.
Six people with the virus have died in the UK, with a total of 382 cases so far. One of them was an elderly member of the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna Temple in Watford, north-west London, and has not been formally named.
"In regards to our recent announcement regarding a member of our congregation testing positive for coronavirus, we respect the privacy of those concerned and are not in a position to comment further on individual cases, a spokesperson said.
"Bhaktivedanta Manor took the decision to close the temple and cancel our festivals in the interests of protecting our congregation and the wider community. We have followed due process and advice from Public Health England, and can confirm Bhaktivedanta Manor will be open to the public as normal from Wednesday 11 March," the spokesperson said.
The UK Foreign Office is advising anyone arriving in the UK from Italy since Monday evening to self-isolate for 14 days and has warned Britons against all but essential travel to Italy, which is experiencing the worst outbreak outside China.
Italy has introduced strict travel restrictions, with people being told to stay home, seek permission for essential travel, and give justification if they want to leave the country.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England has announced an emergency cut in interest rates to shore up the economy amid the outbreak. Policymakers reduced rates from 0.75 per cent to 0.25 per cent, taking borrowing costs back down to the lowest level in history.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
