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- Protagonists of the coronavirus.Neil Ferguson: the epidemiologist of discord in the United Kingdom
Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, whose analyzes were key to tightening measures against Covid-19 in the United Kingdom, has resigned as an adviser to the British Executive after having broken the rules of confinement , Downing Street confirmed.
The newspaper 'The Telegraph' revealed on Tuesday that the researcher, a specialist in the spread of disease in humans and animals, broke the rules of social distance by allowing a woman to cross London at least twice to meet both at home .
"I accept that I made a judgment mistake and took the wrong course of action. Therefore, I have stepped back from my activity at SAGE (the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies)," the mathematician and epidemiologist said in a statement. 51 years old.
"I deeply regret any impairment of the message of the need for social distance to control this devastating epidemic," added the scientist.
In mid-March, Ferguson released a report warning that the UK was facing around 260,000 Covid-19 deaths if it did not tighten social isolation measures. A few days later, on March 23, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the population to stay home except in certain cases, a measure that continues.
The UK has so far recorded 29,427 deaths from the coronavirus and is the country in Europe hardest hit by the pandemic.
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