‘Glad you enjoyed your meal’: NHS nurse responds to Laurence Fox urging people to meet and hug friends to ‘protect their rights’

An NHS nurse has responded to actor Laurence Fox’s tweet bragging about having a “large group” of friends over for lunch at his house with a photo of the impression PPE left on her face after she “held a person’s hand as they died alone” at work.

Joanna Louise, a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse, posted the photo of herself after Fox tweeted that he had hugged his friends, urging people to ignore social distancing rules and “protect your rights”.

She wrote: “Just held a person’s hand as they died alone, without their family or loved ones by their side. Glad you enjoyed your meal.”

Fox received a torrent of backlash for his tweet, in which he wrote: “Stay out. Protect your rights. If the NHS can’t cope, then the NHS isn’t fit for purpose. Compliance is violence.”

It comes after singer Rita Ora also came under fire for attending a party at a restaurant to celebrate her 30th birthday, which she apologised for.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said every person, including celebrities, must abide by the coronavirus regulations put in place to curb the spread of the virus.

The spokesperson said of Fox: “The Prime Minister has been clear of the need for everybody across the country to abide by the rules in order to reduce the transmission of the virus, but it’s up to police to decide what action to take.”

Fox’s comments were condemned as “dangerous” and “ridiculous” by Good Morning Britain hosts, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.

Mr Morgan said Fox should “shut up”, adding: “Seriously. Why don’t you think about the NHS, think about these heroic people who right now in hospitals all around the country are continuing to save lives of complete strangers who have Covid-19, this lethal virus.

“Think about all the people who are making these decisions every day, not for themselves and their desire to carry on life ‘as normal’, but for other people, because they actually care about other people.”

Ms Louise’s tweet was met with mixed reactions. Some people replied in agreement with Fox’s comments, whilst most said they were “ashamed” on his behalf.

Some people thanked her and other NHS staff for being at the side of people who died of coronavirus during the pandemic as they were not able to be there.

“I wasn’t able to hold my husband’s hand when he died of Covid,” said former Emmerdale actress Lorelei King in reply to Ms Louise’s tweet. “I am incredibly grateful for people like you who look after our loved ones so well."

On Monday, a further 12,330 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK, and another 205 deaths were recorded.

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