UK may suspend Parliament over fears that politicians are ‘super-spreaders’

Britain’s Parliament could be closed for almost half the year because of coronavirus — with politicians deemed potential “super spreaders,” according to reports Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been candid about potentially strict measures to try to contain the spread of the virus in the nation which had 90 confirmed cases by Thursday.

It could even include Parliament itself, with one potential plan being a shut-down from the end of this month until September, a senior parliamentary source told The Times of London, calling it “the longest summer recess we have known.”

Sky News reported the same potential time-scale, along with the possibility of Parliament closing earlier than the expected March 31 break for Easter.

A major concern is the millions of tourists who flock to Westminster, along with the vast workforce, with  10,000 people have passes to Westminster, Sky said.

But the biggest risk could be politicians themselves, the UK Times said.

“We’ve got 650 people who spend half the week spread across the country meeting their constituents and the other half rubbing up against one another in Westminster,” a senior source told the paper. “It’s 650 super-spreaders.”

The biggest fear is for elderly peers who pack the upper chamber, the House of Lords, and many may just stay away even if it remains open, one Lord, Dick Newby, told The Guardian.

“At this moment I don’t think they are running to the hills but if there are more cases in London and they rose significantly then perhaps this could happen,” he said

The prime minister’s spokesperson told The Guardian that the decision will be “led by the advice of the experts.”

“Discussions are already taking place with parliamentary authorities and scientific and medical advisers,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Parliament told the paper, “We are monitoring the situation closely and continue to work with the Department for Health and Public Health England.”