Heads of UK military and defence secretary all self-isolating after army chief tests positive for Covid

Defence secretary and at least six of Britain’s most senior military figures are self-isolating

Chief of defence staff, General Sir Nick Carter, tested positive for Covid after attending two events (PA)

The senior-most commanders of the British armed forces are self-isolating since the weekend after General Sir Nick Carter, the head of Britain’s military, tested positive for coronavirus.

The chief of the defence staff, who attended a meeting with other key leaders on Thursday, tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Sunday night.

The Ministry of Defence said: “The chief of the defence staff has tested positive during routine Covid-19 checks. Colleagues who were in a senior meeting with him last week, including the secretary of state, are self-isolating in line with government guidelines.”

The NHS Test and Trace directed defence secretary Ben Wallace, heads of the Royal Navy, RAF and Strategic Command, to isolate for a period of 10 days after coming in “close contact” with General Carter at the meeting, reported The Telegraph.

Gen Carter attended the meeting with Admiral Sir Tim Fraser, vice-chief of the defence staff; General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, chief of the general staff; Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, First Sea Lord (head of navy); air chief marshal Sir Mike Wigston and General Sir Patrick Sanders, commander of strategic command.

The head of the army and Gen Carter’s deputy, who attended the meeting but did not sit close and remained at a distance to the chief of defence staff, spent the weekend self-isolating as they awaited results of their Covid tests. They are expected to work remotely from Monday as a precautionary measure.

The 62-year-old reportedly tested positive after attending the Chalke Valley history festival in Wiltshire last Friday as well as the meeting in Shrivenham in Oxfordshire on Thursday.

Social distancing measures were followed during the meeting but some of those attending were still exposed to the risk of catching Covid after coming in close contact during one-on-one discussions.

Sources told the newspaper tracing and diagnosis would mean that “there are going to be a lot of diaries disrupted” as many will be working remotely.

This comes as Germany is reportedly seeking to ban British travellers from the EU as Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, wants to classify Britain as a “country of concern” as the “more transmissible” Delta variant continues to grow.

According to latest figures, 44 million people, which accounts for 84 per cent of adults have received their first jab and more than 32 million, 61 per cent, have had two shots of Covid vaccines.