Hancock snaps at bbc host as he's accused of letting care sector down

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Matt Hancock defended the Government's latest coronavirus rules announcement and claimed the message had been received loud and clear by

Britons. But when BBC host Martha Kearney suggested that the care sector had been "let down" in the crisis, the Health Secretary called that criticism "really unfair".

The BBC host put to him that more care workers had died than doctors or nurses. "No, I think that that's really unfair," he said. "The reason is this: Some of our most

vulnerable people live in care homes and yet only around a quarter of deaths that have been in care homes. "That is much lower than most international comparators. "And at the same

time, we've put in place those measures to protect people in care homes. READ MORE: SAGE MEMBER ADMITS UK WILL 'NEVER KNOW EXACTLY' WHAT R VALUE IS "I think the fact

that, among people who work in the NHS, no more people have died than in the general population, I think that is a testament to how the NHS has performed. "In almost all epidemics like

this, it is doctors and nurses who tend to bear the brunt and so far, in this epidemic, in this country, there has been no higher death rate among healthcare workers. “I think that is a

really good thing." Mr Hancock also said the Government's decision to lift the ban on driving to beauty spots for exercise should not risk increasing the spread of the virus in

such areas. BACK BRITAIN'S BRAVE NHS HEROES - CLICK HERE NOW The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has been asked to look at the idea of a household

"bubble" in the coming weeks, where one household is allowed to join up with and interact with one other household only. Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast: "The principle behind

this bubble idea, which we are looking at with the scientists to see how big an impact it would have on R, the principle is that if you're in one household and essentially you

don't see anybody from outside your household, and then there's another household - say it's another part of your family - and they don't see anyone from outside their

household, then the risk is lower of those two households meeting each other, so long as they don't form a chain and don't see people in other households. "It will help if we

can do it in a way that doesn't impact on R. I think it will help with this anguish of a lot of people wanting to see family members in another household, whether that's a

grandparent - although there are the risks for older grandparents - or for people who are in a relationship but are in different households, and I understand that yearning as well."