UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who fought coronavirus infection in the intensive care unit earlier this year, is in self-reliance after being exposed to the virus again, officials said Sunday.
In a statement, No. 10 Downing Street said Johnson was not experiencing symptoms, but would follow the guidelines of Britain’s National Health Service, which recommends self-isolation after prolonged exposure to the virus.
“It will work from Downing Street, led by the government’s response to the coronavirus epidemic,” the statement said.
The move comes after Johnson met with MP Lee Anderson on Thursday. Anderson developed symptoms after the meeting and later tested positive for coronavirus.
After contracting the virus in March, Johnson, 56, said he had “survived a liter and a liter of oxygen.” Doctors were preparing to announce his death, he said.
There have been some documented cases of people being infected with the coronavirus, but experts say it is unclear how widespread the phenomenon is.
Johnson announced new coronavirus lockdown measures two weeks ago as the country saw a sharp rise in cases during October, according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. As of Saturday, 1.3 million cases had been reported in the country since the epidemic began and more than 51,000 people had died.
Sunday’s announcement came after a tumultuous week at No. 10 Downing Street, which saw the resignation of Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s top political strategist and chief adviser, as well as communications adviser Lee Cain.
