On Thursday 5th November it was reported that Business Secretary met Prince Charles at Clarence House three days after a staff member at Alok Sharma’s private office tested positive for Covid-19.
According to The Guardian the Business Secretary had a meeting involving the individual on the Thursday before the test result, and the pair were in the department’s Whitehall office the following day. Alok Sharma then flew to South Korea where he continued meeting foreign dignitaries after being informed of the positive test, while other colleagues were forced to self-isolate.
In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the business secretary, said, “The business secretary had no close contact with the staff member who tested positive at any stage. At no point has Mr Sharma been told to self-isolate either by NHS test and trace or through the NHS Covid-19 app, because he and the staff member were not in close contact at any stage.
“Clarence House was informed of the situation ahead of the meeting and it was agreed it could progress as planned as Mr Sharma did not have symptoms and had not been told to self-isolate. Mr Sharma has followed all of the government’s guidelines at all times.”
