UK PM Johnson reverses plan to skip quarantine after COVID exposure

The government announced at 0700 GMT that Johnson and Sunak has been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and would take part in a trial scheme that allowed them to keep working instead of self-isolating for 10 days. But less than three hours later that decision had been reversed after a flurry of criticism from voters, political opponents and business owners.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak will both self-isolate in line with national guidance, abandoning heavily criticized plans to take part in a pilot scheme that would have allowed them to continue working. The government announced at 0700 GMT that Johnson and Sunak have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and would take part in a trial scheme that allowed them to keep working instead of self-isolating for 10 days.

But less than three hours later that decision had been reversed after a flurry of criticism from voters, political opponents, and business owners. Johnson will isolate at Chequers, his country residence, a spokesman said in a statement.

"He will not be taking part in the testing pilot," the spokesman said. "He will continue to conduct meetings with ministers remotely." In a separate tweet, Sunak acknowledged the backlash over their initial decision, which came a day after health minister Sajid Javid said he had tested positive for COVID-19.

"Whilst the test and trace pilot is fairly restrictive, allowing only essential government business, I recognize that even the sense that the rules aren't the same for everyone is wrong," he said. "To that end, I'll be self-isolating as normal and not taking part in the pilot."