Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling work at Imperial College London has proved pivotal in shaping the U.K. response, has been forced to quit his role on the SAGE advisory committee after the Telegraph reported he has been visited at home by a lover “on at least two occasions” during the lockdown.
Ferguson leads the team at Imperial College London that produced the computer-modelled research that led to the national lockdown, which claimed that more than 500,000 Britons would die without the measures.
He told the paper:
“I accept I made an error of judgment and took the wrong course of action,”
“I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in SAGE. 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 to control this devastating epidemic. The government guidance is unequivocal, and is there to protect all of us.”
