Coronavirus: Sammy Wilson told to ‘be smart’ and ‘wear a mask’

Former DUP colleague in the Northern Ireland Assembly Jimmy Spratt has told DUP MP Sammy Wilson to “be smart and” wear a mask. ”

Spratt, who has been undergoing cancer treatment, criticized Wilson after the MP was photographed in the London Underground without covering his face.

Wilson admitted that he was not covering his face when he should have.

Spratt said he was “totally furious” over the incident and said the DUP deputy should be “much more responsible.”

The photo of Wilson using public transportation without covering his face appeared on social media Thursday morning.

The East Antrim told the BBC that it accepted that it “should have been” wearing a face covering.

“I’m not making excuses and I will accept the consequences, so I am not going to try to justify anything,” he said.

‘Like East Germany under the Stasi’

The MP was photographed reading a magazine, while on his way to the airport.

The man who took the photo, who asked not to be identified, said Wilson took the tube in Westminster around 08:30 BST and sat opposite him.

He claimed that Wilson did not wear a mask during the trip.

On Thursday, the DUP MP told the Belfast Telegraph newspaper: “I put on a mask before getting on the train, while on the train, at the airport and on the plane.

“I got a call and you can’t speak through a mask because you’re muffled so I took it off but put it back on shortly after.”

Later, Wilson told the Palestinian Authority news agency: “I didn’t have a mask, I should have put it on and I don’t offer any excuses.”

He added that it was “sad that we have now become like East Germany under the Stasi, where members of the public think it is acceptable to act like snoopers.”

“Whoever took the photo didn’t come up to me or say anything to me, which I suppose would have been the right way to behave.”

‘Stop the stunts’

Mr. Spratt criticized Mr. Wilson on Twitter, saying it was time for him to “grow up and get smarter, do the right thing and stop the stunts.”

The retired MLA then spoke to BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster about why he had publicly called his friend and colleague from the party on social media.

“I expect more from one public representative, particularly at this time when across the world and indeed across the UK, the advice is to do the right thing and protect others,” said Spratt.

“I was totally furious, because this is not the first time Sammy has done a trick.

“But I feel like he needs to be much more responsible and respect the line and do the right thing and try to protect everyone, if he doesn’t want to protect himself.”

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Pacemaker

Jimmy Spratt and Sammy Wilson are former members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) DUP.

Mr. Spratt represented the South Belfast constituency from 2007 until he retired for health reasons in 2015 while receiving treatment for bowel cancer.

He told Good Morning Ulster that the cancer has spread to his liver and that he has undergone a series of major operations and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Spratt said public representatives must follow public health guidelines to protect the health service and vulnerable patients.

“It’s not just thinking about me, but every time I sit two days every two weeks in the cancer center and see other people who are much more vulnerable than me, I think I want to protect them, so why Shouldn’t Sammy do the right thing and protect others?

“If it’s a PR stunt, it’s very silly.”

However, former DUP health minister Jim Wells defended Mr. Wilson, saying he had made “an honest mistake.”

“Are all the public representatives going to have to live in a cave for the next three or four months in case we make a mistake, what do we admit when we do?” Mr Wells said.

British Transport Police

When asked about Wilson’s photo Thursday, DUP leader Arlene Foster said “everyone is subject to the law and everyone is equal before the law.”

“Therefore, it is very important that we listen to the laws and follow them,” he said.

Transport for London (TfL) says that those caught without covering their faces in its services could face a minimum fine of £ 200, which doubles every time they catch a person, up to £ 6,400.

Age, health and disability exemptions apply and TfL provides an “exemption card” for those who cannot use one.

The witness on the tube told BBC News NI that the Met Police had contacted him, who said they had passed the case on to the British Transport Police.

Wilson has previously criticized the rules on wearing face masks.

In July, before covering her face in stores became mandatory, she posed on Twitter at an ice cream parlor in Islandmagee, County Antrim.

His message was “Support local businesses” and he went on to point out that “you can’t eat ice cream when you have a muzzle!”