The leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, lambasted Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, accusing the prime minister of “following events rather than leading them”.
Mr Farage accused Mr Johnson and his government of negligence, for failing to screen passengers arriving from Italy for the deadly virus.
The Brexit Party leader noted the disparity between the treatment and quarantines imposed on those who arrived from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, with those who have recently arrived from Italy, which is experiencing the largest outbreak in Europe.
“By continuing to allow dozens of airplanes from areas of Italy which have been affected by the disease to land on British soil without even bothering to check those arriving for signs of illness, he and his government are being negligent. They are not carrying out their principal responsibility of keeping their people safe,” Farage wrote in Newsweek.
“Though I take no pleasure in saying it, Johnson’s repeated advice that people should wash their hands to ward off the virus may well look utterly insufficient in a few weeks’ time,” he added.
Mr Farage went on to suggest that the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has been tampered by concerns over the economy, notably the collapse of the British based airline company Flybe.
“Whether the recent collapse of the regional airline Flybe has made the government nervous about the economic effects of travel restrictions remains an open question. It does seem, however, that economic considerations are deemed to be more important than human ones,” Farage said.
On Tuesday, a sixth person died in the UK, with the number of infected reaching who have died from the illness, reports The Telegraph.
Dr Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer, defended the government’s handling of the virus, saying that medical experts are re-evaluating the situation on an hour by hour basis to enact a “balanced response” to the outbreak.
Prime Minister Johnson said that for the time being he will not impose stricter measures, such as banning public events and closing down schools.
“No single intervention is enough on its own to make the difference. We have to do things in combination and we have to do them at the right time,” Mr Johnson said per The Times.
The prime minister did warn, however, that there is “no hiding from the fact that the coronavirus outbreak will present significant challenges for the UK just as it does in other countries”.
Mr Farage said that Johnson is “lucky that the Labour Party is so consumed by internal debates on Islamaphobia and transgender issues at present. Were it not for that, his government would rightly be held to account for its handling of the coronavirus crisis.”
“If, as is likely, the next two weeks bring about a raft of new infections in the country that have come directly as a result of unchecked passengers returning from Italy, I expect a full social media outcry,” Frage warned.
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