Dominic Raab has confirmed that Boris Johnson remains in charge of the government, despite being admitted to hospital last night (5 April) after testing positive for coronavirus 10 days ago.
Raab addressed the country in place of Boris Johnson for today's daily coronavirus briefing.
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When asked by a reporter about whether Johnson should be resting, Raab replied: "He'll continue to take doctors advice on what to do next."
Raab added: "He was admitted to hospital for tests as a precaution only, and that was because some of the symptoms that he had when he first tested positive had persisted.
"He had a comfortable night in St Thomas's. He's in good spirits and he's been regularly updated. He still remains in charge of the government and we're getting on with all of the various strands of work to make sure at home and abroad we can defeat the virus, and pull the country through coronavirus and the challenges we are undoubtedly facing at the moment."
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The Foreign Secretary later added that he has been in contact with the PM and also chaired the morning meeting that Johnson usually would.
Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, confirmed he did not suggest Johnson go into hospital and that the situation was between Johnson and his GP.
A spokesperson for Johnson said the PM 'continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus'.
The spokesperson told BBC's Hugh Pym: "On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.
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"This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus."
The news comes after the UK's death toll for coronavirus passed 5,000 cases today, with a total of 5,373 patients now having died at the hands of the deadly disease.
According to figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care, another 439 hospital patients have died in the UK in a 24 hour period.
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It's okay to not panic. LADbible and UNILAD's aim with our series, Cutting Through, is to provide our community with facts and stories from the people who are either qualified to comment or have experienced first-hand the situation we're facing. For more information from the World Health Organisation on coronavirus, click here.
