People who have had coronavirus must be exempt from any future lockdown rules, Tory MP demands

BRITS who have already had coronavirus should be exempt from lockdown rules, a Tory MP has demanded.

Sir Christopher Chope has claimed there is enough evidence people cannot catch Covid-19 twice called for “more than a million people” who have recovered to be set free.

People who have already had coronavirus should be set free, a Tory MP has demanded

Sir Christopher quoted a British Medical Journal report which found that people who have had the bug “cannot be reinfected for at least six months”.

He told MPs in PMQs: “More than one million fellow citizens have recovered after testing positive for Covid-19.

“On November 2, the British Medical Journal reported that all those people will have protection from their T cells which would ensure that they cannot be reinfected for at least six months.

“In the light of that, will (Mr Johnson) follow the example of Sweden and exempt from all the Covid regulations those people who have tested positive within the last six months, and thereby show that he is following the science and also common sense?”

Mr Johnson slapped down the suggestion said there is not solid enough evidence people could not be reinfected with the virus.

“There is evidence both ways on that and I think that what everybody would accept is that everybody who does get pinged, everybody who does get contacted by NHS Test and Trace, should follow the rules,” he said.

The PM is currently self-isolating and appeared at PMQs via videolink after having a meeting with Tory MP Lee Anderson, who tested positive for the virus over the weekend.

When asked about why Mr Johnson was self-isolating again, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this week people can get coronavirus twice.

Mr Hancock said: “Some people do get it again.

“I’ve had it but I follow all of the rules because people can catch it twice.

“We haven’t yet got the rigorous evidence we need on how likely people are to catch it twice, although we are working very hard on that.

“The Prime Minister is following exactly the same rules as every other person in the country.”

The idea of “immunity wristbands” had previously been floated by ministers as a way to get people back to normal.

But multiple studies have shown that antibodies to coronavirus can disappear after as little as three months after being ill – meaning people could be vulnerable to catching it again.