May 6, 2020, “Coronavirus: Prof Neil Ferguson quits government role after ‘undermining’ lockdown," BBC
“Prof Neil Ferguson has quit as a government adviser on coronavirus after admitting an “error of judgement.” Prof Ferguson, whose advice to the prime minister led to the UK lockdown, said he regretted “undermining” the messages on social distancing.
The Telegraph reported that a woman he was said to be in a relationship with visited his home in lockdown.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was “extraordinary” and that he “took the right decision to resign”.
He told Sky News that it was “just not possible” for Prof Ferguson to continue advising the government.
Mr Hancock said the social distancing rules “are there for everyone” and are “deadly serious”.
Scotland Yard said Prof Ferguson’s behaviour was “plainly disappointing” but officers “do not intend to take any further action.”
No 10 said the prime minister agreed with his decision to resign but Prof Ferguson was not told to do so and made the decision himself.
“Social distancing regulations are there for a very clear purpose,” the prime minister’s spokesman added.
Prof Ferguson’s modelling of the virus’s transmission suggested 250,000 people [in the UK] could die without drastic action.
This led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce on 23 March that he was imposing widespread curbs on daily life aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.
Under those measures people were told to go out as little as possible, with partners who live separately later being told they should “ideally” stay in their own homes.
In a statement, Prof Ferguson said: “I accept I made an error of judgement and took the wrong course of action.
“I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies).
“I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms.
“I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing.”
He also called the government advice on social distancing “unequivocal”, adding that it was there “to protect all of us”.
The Telegraph reported that Antonia Staats visited his home on at least two occasions during the lockdown.
Despite Prof Ferguson’s comments, it is currently unclear whether people who have recovered from the virus will be immune or able to catch it again.
BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh said “Neil Ferguson will know the science is very much developing” on immunity – and the government was not advising people to carry on as normal if they had already had the disease.
Our correspondent added that Prof Ferguson’s resignation was “a really big deal,” calling him “the most influential scientist” in the virus outbreak apart from the UK’s chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
However, Sir Robert Lechler, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said he did not think Prof Ferguson’s resignation would “have any material impact” on the work of SAGE, which is advising the government on the pandemic.
He told the BBC that Prof Ferguson had made “an important contribution” but he was sure the group would “continue to provide valuable input”.
Security minister James Brokenshire told the BBC that “a range of experts” will continue to support ministers following Prof Ferguson’s resignation….
Prof Ferguson’s resignation comes a month after Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, quit when it was revealed she had broken lockdown rules by making two trips to her second home.
Scottish National Party MP Philippa Whitford told BBC Newsnight that both cases were examples of telling the public “to do something really difficult but it’s as if it doesn’t count for you”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he believed it was right that Prof Ferguson had resigned.
“We all have a role to play in the fight against the virus,” Sir Keir’s spokesman said. “That means taking responsibility and following the official advice.”
Prof Neil Ferguson is one of the world’s most influential disease modellers.
He is director of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis.
The centre’s mathematical predictions advise governments and the World Health Organization on outbreaks from Ebola in West Africa to the current pandemic.
It was that group’s work, in early January, that alerted the world to the threat of coronavirus.
It showed hundreds if not thousands of people were likely to have been infected in Wuhan, at a time when Chinese officials said there were only a few dozen cases.
But he shot to public attention as “Professor Lockdown”.
In mid-March [2020], the [Prof. Ferguson’s models’] maths showed the UK needed to change course or a quarter of a million people would die in a “catastrophic epidemic”.
Those calculations helped transform government policy and all lives.
Conservative MP Sir John Redwood suggested the circumstances behind Prof Ferguson’s resignation would not matter to the public.”…
[Ed. note: It’s not about the girlfriend. BBC buries the lede which is that Prof. Ferguson freely admits and backs up with his behavior that he himself is a believer in “herd immunity:” Ferguson: “I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms.”...So the top world expert on the virus makes clear that lockdown, a euphemism for genocide, wasn’t the only choice. The mockery of all humanity by US and UK elites is on display for those who care to look. In fact, Ferguson and/or others at Imperial had been advising the government that herd immunity was a workable choice. But finally it was decided it would be lockdowns instead for one “reason”–saving NHS from embarrassment should it not be able to handle a brief spurt of patients. So, with no discussion, certainly not in the US , the entire population of planet Earth was converted to slaves of NHS and the UK monarchy. US elites were thrilled that we were bound and gagged indefinitely and that we had absolutely no say in the matter. Certainly, that Republican voters were bound and gagged was a dream come true for the Republican Establishment. Global warming profiteers were stunned and delighted at how easy it was to legally erase humanity–especially Americans–from the environment. Everyone agreed it would be great if this were permanent–at least let it continue for a few years. No one in the political class stood up for us, shouted from the rooftops that herd immunity would’ve been a much better alternative to lockdowns–a euphemism for genocide. We won’t forget how easy it was for them to destroy thousands of towns and cities that took lifetimes to build and won’t be rebuilt in many of our lifetimes, if ever. Who in their right mind would prescribe genocide as the “solution” for any virus? Answer: the entire US political class. And who will ever forget smiling, vaccine pervert Bill Gates holding court all over tv and internet? I never even heard any of them apologize for depriving children of sunlight they need for strong bones.]
(continuing): “”What matters to the nation is are we getting the right advice and how do we get through this dreadful crisis?” he said.
Prof Ferguson led Imperial College London’s Covid-19 response team. He has carried out mathematical modelling to provide information on outbreaks including foot-and-mouth in 2001, bird flu in 2006 and swine flu in 2009.
A statement from the university said Prof Ferguson “continues to focus on his important research”.”
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Added: “What led our [US] government and the governments of many other countries into panic was a single Imperial College of U.K. study, funded by global warming activists, that predicted 2.2 million deaths if we didn’t lock down the country.“
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Added: ““We don’t have a clear exit strategy,” Dr. Ferguson said of the recommended measures. “We’re going to have to suppress this virus-–frankly, indefinitely—until we have a vaccine.“…March 16, 2020, “White House Takes New Line After Dire Report on Death Toll,” NY Times, Sheri Fink
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