Durham Police Say Cummings Committed 'Minor Breach' Of Lockdown Rules - Reports

Durham Police Say Cummings Committed 'Minor Breach' of Lockdown Rules - Reports

An investigation by the Durham Police Department has found that Dominic Cummings, a senior adviser of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, violated lockdown rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic by making a 50-mile journey to Barnard Castle on April 12, The Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) An investigation by the Durham Police Department has found that Dominic Cummings, a senior adviser of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, violated lockdown rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic by making a 50-mile journey to Barnard Castle on April 12, The Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, in April, on Easter Sunday, the prime minister's top aide made a trip with his family to the castle to check whether he was able to drive after having coronavirus-related eyesight problems.

The investigation into the incident established that the senior official committed a "minor breach" of the regulations by traveling to the castle, noting "there was no apparent breach of social distancing." As for Cummings' another trip made earlier, the police said it did not consider that the official violated the stay-at-home order when he isolated himself in the northeastern city of Durham in late March. Therefore, the police would not take any further action against the official, the newspaper added.

Last week, The Guardian newspaper reported that Cummings, his wife and their child traveled 260 miles from London to Durham in late March to stay with his parents after his wife started displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Cummings's trip went against government guidance banning anyone with symptoms of the disease from leaving their house for any reason. Though the report triggered a public outcry, the aide said that he was not considering resignation, stressing that he and his wife were guided by the desire to guarantee that the child would be safe even if they both fell ill. Johnson and leading cabinet ministers have supported Cummings, saying that he acted responsibly.