It's just a bit odd that the BBC has let him on to its premises when most staff normally working there are expected to be working from home now. I would imagine a visit to a broadcaster's bureau for an interview does not qualify as
essential
travel since they can ring him or put up a video link to his office.
He's had the disease now, and for the next few weeks at least, is not going to be distributing the virus or able to catch it from others. While we don't know about the longer term resistance or non-carrying, at the moment he's safe to go anywhere he wants, and as a high-position politician, he can easily argue that meeting the broadcast media is an essential part of his job.
It's just a bit odd that the BBC has let him on to its premises when most staff normally working there are expected to be working from home now. I would imagine a visit to a broadcaster's bureau for an interview does not qualify as
essential
travel since they can ring him or put up a video link to his office.
Essential travel includes travelling to work, if you can’t do it from home.
It is much more reliable to have him interviewed by proper broadcast equipment, and as he’s the Health Secretary in a pandemic, I’d say that’s pretty important.
But the thing is he can do this interview work remotely. An interview can be done by establishing a live-link to his office. It's not like gallery staff who can't install make-shift equipment in their flat. I'm sure the Department has proper equipment or the broadcasters can send some over and figure out how social distancing can work once at the Department.
But the thing is he can do this interview work remotely. An interview can be done by establishing a live-link to his office. It's not like gallery staff who can't install make-shift equipment in their flat. I'm sure the Department has proper equipment or the broadcasters can send some over and figure out how social distancing can work once at the Department.
You’ve ignored the point that he doesn’t need to social distance now.
If you actually read the law, it doesn’t concern ‘essential travel’, and the distinction here would be quite relevant. You are not permitted to ‘leave the place you reside’ without ‘reasonable excuse’, which includes travelling to work to do a job you cannot reasonably do from home. As Health Secretary, there’s no doubt he’s more effective in an office with his team than working remotely, and the effectiveness of our public servants is rather important right now.
Appearing on live TV for scrutiny purposes is part of his job. It’s unlikely he left his home purely to do a broadcast interview, and there is zero chance he has actually gone against the legal requirements.
Interviewing him to a good technical quality and resilience is important, and sending BBC technicians to his home or office to ensure a remote link is sufficient (for a one-off interview) wouldn’t be any better than having him go into NBH.
^^
That one is fine. I am just questioning whether there was no other way to do the Breakfast interview other than to visit NBH without raising questions of whether he's going against the 'lockdown'.
He's not going against any of the government's instructions or laws, and he's not a risk to anyone as a carrier of the disease, so why does there need to be another way of doing the interview? This sounds like either you don't understand the law, or you're desperately trying to pin something on him.