According to the British "Daily Telegraph" reported on the 27th, after the British Defense Chief of Staff tested positive for the new crown virus, the British Defense Minister and 6 of the highest-level military commanders have begun to self-isolate.
British Chief of Defence Staff Nick Carter
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed on the evening of the 27th that the new coronavirus test results of the British Defense Chief of Staff Nick Carter showed that he was infected with new crown pneumonia and had entered a 10-day quarantine period.
According to defence sources, the Uk's National Health Service (NHS) has asked them to quarantine all at home because defence secretary Ben Wallace and the heads of the Navy, Air Force and Strategic Command recently had "close contact" with Nick at a meeting.
The head of the British Army and Nick's deputy also reportedly attended the same meeting, but both kept a distance from Nick, who had already self-isolated over the weekend and were awaiting the results of a nucleic acid test. But as a precaution, the two are said to start working remotely on Monday.
British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace
Just last week, British MPs warned that other NATO countries were concerned about British servicemen being deployed overseas without two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. But the British government insists that vaccinations are correct based on age groups and that military personnel cannot be prioritized because of their occupation.
It is understood that Nick is 62 years old this year, the oldest active general in the United Kingdom, and he tested positive for the new crown virus after he appeared at an event in Wiltshire, England, on the 25th.
British Army Chief of Staff Mark Carlton Smith
What really caused headaches for the Uk Ministry of Defence, however, was the meeting held the day before. On the same day, Nick attended a forum with Defence Secretary Wallace, 51, and Deputy Chief of Defence Tim Fraser, at the British Defence Academy in Shreevanham, Oxfordshire, along with Mark Carlton Smith, 57, Chief of staff of the British Army, Tony Ladagin, 55, First Secretary of State for Sea, Mike Wiggston, 53, and Patrick Sanders, 55, Commander of Strategic Command.
It is understood that the forum is a high-level meeting held on a regular basis, following measures of social distancing. However, Wallace, Tony, Mike, and Patrick had close contact with Nick and had to self-isolate for 10 days. Tim and Mark, meanwhile, did not have close contact with Nick during the meeting, nor did they have one-on-one meetings with him, so they are not considered close contacts.
All affected senior military officials are expected to telecommute during quarantine, although an insider warned that discussions of sensitive materials would have to wait for rescheduled face-to-face meetings because home device platforms were too insecure.