British health secretary tests positive for coronavirus

Matt Hancock.
(Image credit: Luke Dray/Getty Images)

The United Kingdom's prime minister and health secretary have now both tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock announced Friday morning he has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing "mild symptoms." He said he will self-isolate, though he's already been working from home recently.

"Fortunately for me, the symptoms so far have been very mild, so I've been able to carry on with the work driving forward the UK response," Hancock said.

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This comes shortly after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he tested positive for COVID-19 as well, becoming the first world leader to do so. Like Hancock, Johnson said his symptoms are mild and that he would continue working from home. Johnson had recently imposed strict lockdown measures in the U.K., closing non-essential businesses and banning public gatherings of more than two people.

With the back-to-back news from Johnson and Hancock, though, Bloomberg described this as a "double blow to the U.K. government's response to the crisis."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.