UK PM Johnson will not isolate after staff member tests COVID positive

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not need to self isolate even though a member of his staff on a recent trip to Scotland tested positive for the coronavirus, his Downing Street office said.

Johnson visited a police college in Fife on Wednesday and a wind farm off Aberdeenshire on Thursday.

As per the local media, a member of Johnson’s staff who accompanied him to the police college and travelled with him on a plane tested positive for coronavirus.

“The Prime Minister regularly visits communities across the UK and all aspects of visits are carried out in line with COVID guidance," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

He added, “The Prime Minister has not come into close contact with anyone who has tested positive.”

This comes a month after Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak self-isolated in line with national guidance, abandoning heavily criticised plans to take part in a pilot scheme that would have allowed them to continue working.

The U-turn came a day after health minister Sajid Javid said he had tested positive for COVID-19 and at a time when the government's coronavirus response is under intense scrutiny.