So.... Javid, Sunak and Johnson were all in a meeting with each other yesterday (?); whilst Javid was suffering with Covid.
But they don't have to self-isolate because they're taking part in a new daily-testing trial that didn't exist until yesterday - a trial with 2 participants by any chance?
I see not problem with the messaging here, that can't be solved with a 3-word slogan. how about "Fuck Off Peasants"?
So as far as I'm aware the trial did actually begin back in Spring.
Trial will explore whether tests for contacts of infected people reduce the need for them to isolate
www.theguardian.com
However, there are some confusing and inconsistent issues with this.
On the actual website (
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/daily-contact-testing-study) as well as the news reports (
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-rishi-sunak-self-isolating-daily-contact-testing-pilot/) and press release (
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-launch-40000-person-daily-contact-testing-study) the eligibility criteria suggest it is open to anyone:
People who are traced as contacts can take part if they:
However, according the the government Johnson and Sunak are participating in the study that include 20 private and public organisations. The LBC report directly contradicts the 20 organisations line. Therefore is this the same study or a different one?
The other issue is that it clearly says:
The study will compare 2 approaches to routine testing of contacts:
- participants in the 'self-isolation' group will be given 1 PCR test. They must self-isolate as normal for the full 10-day self-isolation period even if their test result is negative
- participants in the 'daily testing' group will be given 7 rapid lateral flow tests to test daily. They will be given 24-hour release from self-isolation if the test is negative. They will also receive 2 PCR tests
Participants will be placed into study groups at
random.
However, it seems all government ministers who were in close contact with Javid have 'randomly' ended up in the daily testing group. If, this wasn't random then it certainly is showing favouritism.
While I do think there is one rule for the rich elites and another for the rest, in this case it does seem like they are participating in a trial that is open to everyone, though as I've pointed out there are a few question marks over this and whether it was done fairly.