Matt Hancock blames infected staff for bringing Covid into care homes

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has blamed infected staff for bringing the Covid virus into care homes, which saw thousands of deaths of elderly residents during the pandemic. In his most controversial claims, Mr Hancock said that the introduction of the Covid-19 virus into care homes in early 2020 was not “primarily” a result of elderly people being moved from hospitals without testing. “Regardless, the awfulness of what the virus did to people in care homes around the world will stay with me for the rest of my life.” In his diary entry for 2 April 2020 – days after the imposition of the first national lockdown - he acknowledged that patients leaving hospital would not be tested, but said care homes were given clear guidance on isolation measures. This explains a lot.” In January 2021, during the second wave of Covid, Mr Hancock wrote of the “scandalous” behaviour of 40 different operators who continued to use staff who were infected with the virus. The diaries, being published under the title Pandemic Diaries: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle Against Covid, record that the chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty told Mr Hancock as early as 17 January 2020 that there was a “50:50 chance” coronavirus would spread beyond China and cause mass deaths in Britain.