The former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Nigel Farage, is no stranger to criticism, but this time the situation may well be much more serious. The prominent Brexit supporter drew ire from social media users after he tweeted a photo of himself enjoying a pint. The politician captioned the photo saying: 12 o’ clock, first customer in. Love it.
The post received over 6.000 comments, with angry netizens accusing Farage, who recently visited the United States, the nation with the highest number of coronavirus cases, of willfully breaching quarantine.
The former UKIP party leader, who lives in England’s Kent district, responded by tweeting another photo of himself with a statement claiming that he spent 14 days in self-isolation after returning home from the US. The 14 days refers to the required length of quarantine in the United Kingdom. Farage also said that he had been tested for the infectious disease. "Sorry to disappoint you. Cheers", Farage tweeted.
The development comes as England has announced a major relaxation of safety measures introduced earlier to slow the spread of the cooronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas have been allowed to open, as well as places of worship. In addition, authorities have allowed households to meet indoors or outside, including overnight stays.