Coronavirus: Local Tory leader apologises after Brighton councillor said health officials ‘hiding something’

Samer Bagaeen claimed infection was ‘spiralling out of control’ after five confirmed cases in East Sussex city

As Brighton grapples with multiple cases of the new Coronavirus, the city’s Conservative leader Steve Bell has apologised on behalf of the party after fellow councillor Samer Bagaeen accused health authorities of “intentionally hiding” information from the public and allowing the infection to “spiral out of control”.

Speaking after a fifth case of the virus was confirmed in the East Sussex city on Tuesday, Cllr Bagaeen, a leading figure on Brighton and Hove City Council’s health board, accused bodies including Public Health England, the Clinical Commissioning Group, and Brighton and Hove City Council of failing to provide adequate information.

His comments came after a businessman Hove was identified as the so-called "super-spreader" suspected of having infected at least 11 people.

After contracting the disease while abroad, Steve Walsh then spent five days living normally in Brighton – going to yoga sessions and the pub – before he was quarantined.

Cllr Bagaeen said he is worried the number of people infected by Mr Walsh, who has since recovered, was much higher than suggested.

“I think they have not been straight with everyone from the start and have intentionally hid the implications of the infections,” he said in comments reported by local newspaper The Argus. “We don’t know who in the city has been exposed and where.”

Speaking to LBC, Cllr Bagaeen said there was a “public right to know” who has been infected with the virus.

He said: “Yesterday we had the health secretary saying there’s an imminent danger to public health, and I think we need to act on that. This morning there were more cases reported in Brighton and Hove, more patients being tracked as well. I think we really need to step [up] our game.

“It’s spiralling out of control. A week ago we had one case. Today we have five in the city and potentially more coming through.

“Patient confidentiality has to be respected, but also there is a public right to know, and I don’t think we’re doing well on that.”

But Cllr Bagaeen’s comments were rejected by the Conservative Party’s local leader.

Without specifically referring to Cllr Bagaeen in his statement, Cllr Bell said: “Some recent comments by one of our colleagues about coronavirus were reported today.

“The comment and the context in which it was reported may have caused unnecessary and avoidable alarm.

“That was not the intention and I would like to apologise on behalf of our group.”

People in Brighton face further uncertainty over the reach of the disease, after it was announced on Wednesday that authorities were looking to trace 12 people who were treated by two GPs who contracted Coronavirus – one of them from Mr Walsh.

According to the BBC, the two doctors had worked in four different locations in East and West Sussex – a nursing home, an A&E department and two GP practices.

The pair are now in isolation, and efforts to trace those that came into contact with them are underway.