「ドライヤーでコロナ撃退できるか」　ジョンソン元英首相、専門家に問う　元側近

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英国のボリス・ジョンソン元首相が新型コロナウイルス感染症の流行初期、政府の首席科学顧問に対し、「特別なヘアドライヤー」で同ウイルスを撃退できるか尋ねていたことが明らかになった。（写真はボリス・ジョンソン元首相〈資料写真〉）
　ジョンソン政権で首相上級顧問を務めたドミニク・カミングス氏が１日、新型コロナ流行に関する公的調査に応じた供述書で明かした。
　カミングス氏によると、新型コロナが世界中に広まり始めた２０２０年３月、ジョンソン氏は動画共有サイトのユーチューブで、ヘアドライヤーを使って「ウイルスを殺す」と称する動画を高官らと視聴。
　当時、英政府首席科学顧問を務めていたパトリック・バランス氏と、同じくイングランド首席医務官だったクリス・ホウィッティ氏にこの動画に関する意見を求めたという。
　カミングス氏は、ジョンソン氏が「コロナを殺すために鼻に特別なヘアドライヤーを吹きかける男性の動画」を皆に見せ、バランス、ホウィッティ両氏に向かって「どう思うか尋ねたときが最悪だった」と述懐している。
　英国では新型コロナによって、２０２１年７月中旬までに世界最悪級となる１３万人近くが死亡。現在、政府の対応をめぐる公的調査が行われている。
　ＡＦＰは２０２０年３月１９日のファクトチェックで、ヘアドライヤーやサウナでコロナウイルスが不活性化するという主張が誤りであることを確認している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/11/02-15:55）

Former prime minister Boris Johnson asked the UK government's top scientific advisors early in the pandemic if a special hairdryer could be used against Covid, it emerged on Wednesday.
As the virus began to spread worldwide in March 2020, Johnson shared with officials a YouTube video of the dryer being used to kill Covid, according to his former top aide Dominic Cummings.
The ex-British leader wanted Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, and Patrick Vallance, its chief scientific advisor, to give their opinions about it, Cummings claimed in a statement submitted to a public inquiry into Covid.
It is examining the UK government's performance dealing with the virus, which led to nearly 130,000 fatalities being recorded in Britain by mid-July 2021.
The toll is one of the worst official Covid-19 death counts in the world.
Cummings, who quit Johnson's government in late 2020 after falling out with him, has used his 115-page witness statement and in-person testimony to assail his former boss's handling of the crisis.
A low point was when he circulated a video of a guy blowing a special hairdryer up his nose 'to kill Covid' and asked the CSA and CMO what they thought, the former aide stated, referring to Whitty and Vallance.
AFP FactCheck the claim about hair dryers and saunas killing coronavirus on March 19, 2020.
Cummings also claimed Johnson was extremely distracted when the virus first hit Britain, due to various personal and political matters.
He had a divorce to finalise and was grappling with financial problems from that, he wrote.
An ex-girlfriend was making accusations about him in the media. His current girlfriend wanted to finalise the announcement of their engagement.
He said he wanted to work on his Shakespeare book, Cummings added.
The inquiry, chaired by a retired senior judge, is to interview Johnson and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was finance minister during the pandemic, later this year.
Johnson was ousted last year by Conservative MPs after a string of scandals, including the so-called Partygate controversy around lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.
He quit as an MP in June after lawmakers found he had deliberately misled them about the affair.
Cummings has also faced criticism, in particular for abusive language revealed in text messages from the time and his part in a toxic culture atop the UK government.
The dominant culture was macho and heroic, Helen MacNamara, who was one of the country's highest ranking female officials, testified Wednesday.
It was positively unhelpful when the country needed thoughtful and reflective decision-making.