Needless to say my utterly sycophantic MP thinks DC is just fine and, in fact, would have let me drive there too had I only asked ...
Dear HA
I have received hundreds of emails over the weekend expressing a range of opinions over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown movements. I do understand that everyone has had to make huge sacrifices to keep to the rules and many of you have been separated from loved ones, some of whom have been ill or, very sadly, passed away during this period. I can totally understand why you may feel angry or frustrated.
I am sorry I can’t reply to individual points, but I would like to set out my position. Most importantly, the rules must apply to everyone equally, so I have tried to consider this issue as if it were a constituent who had asked my advice. If they had got in touch with me with the same concern and situation that they and their spouse had coronavirus symptoms and were concerned for the welfare of a young child if they stayed at home, I would ask them a series of questions:
• Can you not self-isolate at home?
• If you moved to another location, would you be able to travel there without using public transport and without stopping en route?
• On arrival would they be able to self-isolate in a separate dwelling for 14 days without any physical interaction with another household?
If the answer to all these questions was reasonable and did not risk the spread of the virus, then I would have no objection to the decision to travel if they felt as a parent that it was in the best interests of their family. From what I have heard, I believe that these were the circumstances of the Cummings’ household.
A number of people have raised the question about the Cummings’ visit to Barnard Castle. Dominic Cummings made this journey after he had fully recovered from the virus and after he had taken medical advice on April 11th, which determined that it was safe for him to travel and go back to work. It was perfectly allowable to make this journey and specifically as, having had the virus, he could not be at risk of spreading it. The rules are designed to stop the spread of Covid and our current understanding is that there was no risk in this instance.
The country still faces a huge challenge ahead. We need to ease the lockdown without risking a second wave and more health impacts and loss of life and we need to reboot the economy and save as many businesses and jobs as we can. It is time to move on from this so we can all pull together to rebuild both our economy and our lives.
Kind regards,
Kevin Hollinrake MP