Health Secretary Matt Hancock pleads with anti-racism protesters not to attend demonstrations

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today pleaded with anti-racism protesters not to attend mass demonstrations as he warned coronavirus ‘thrives on social contact regardless of what your cause may be’. 

Mr Hancock told the daily Downing Street press conference he understood that people ‘want to show their passion for a cause that they care deeply about’.

But he stressed the Government’s current social distancing rules restrict group gatherings to no more than six people, with the two metre restriction still having to be adhered to. 

He said that ‘for the safety of your loved ones’ people should stick to the rules and not attend large protests.   

His comments came after a statue of slave trader Edward Colston that was pulled down during an anti-racism demonstration last weekend was lifted out of Bristol Harbour. 

Meanwhile, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said it planned to temporarily remove a statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell from Poole Quay over concerns it may be targeted by protesters.  

The Government today published its first set of statistics setting out the initial performance of the NHS Test and Trace programme. 

The data showed that some 8,117 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS system, of whom 5,407 (67 per cent) were reached, while 2,710 (33 per cent) did not provide information about their contacts or could not be reached.

Overall, 31,794 contacts were identified and, of these, 26,985 were reached and advised to self-isolate – 85 per cent of the total number of contacts.  

Of the remaining 15 per cent (4,809), some were not reached, others said they were already taking action independently of the system and some simply refused to comply.

Mr Hancock said the numbers showed the programme had already had an impact in the battle against coronavirus as he praised people for isolating when they have been asked to. 

He continued: ‘It is brilliant that the vast majority of people have done their civic duty and as we have worked through our plan and as we keep driving this virus down, let us maintain that spirit and fortitude that has helped us throughout this pandemic. 

‘And that of course includes not attending large gatherings, including demonstrations of more than six people. 

‘I understand that people want to show their passion for a cause that they care deeply about.

‘But this is a virus that thrives on social contact regardless of what your cause may be. 

‘So please, for the safety of your loved ones, stay alert, control the virus and save lives.’ 

There have been numerous anti-racism protests across the UK in recent days with one on Sunday seeing the statue of Colston toppled and thrown into the harbour. 

Bristol City Council posted a video clip on Twitter of the monument being fished out of the water this morning.

It tweeted: ‘Early this morning we retrieved the statue of Colston from Bristol Harbour.

‘It is being taken to a secure location before later forming part of our museums collection.’

It came as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said it planned to temporarily remove the statue of Baden-Powell from Poole Quay because of fears it could be targeted by activists. 

The council said it wanted to ‘minimise the risk of any public disorder or anti-social behaviour that could arise were the statue to remain in situ’ while views on Lord Baden-Powell are shared.

Council leader Vikki Slade said in a statement issued on Wednesday: ‘Whilst famed for the creation of the Scouts, we also recognise that there are some aspects of Robert Baden-Powell’s life that are considered less worthy of commemoration.

‘Therefore, we are removing the statue so that we can properly involve all relevant communities and groups in discussions about its future, including whether a more educational presentation of his life in a different setting might be more appropriate.’