Boris Johnson continued to shake hands after his own scientific advisers warned it could spread the coronavirus

Boris Johnson at Twickenham Stadium on March 7

• Boris Johnson continued to shake hands in public after his own scientific advisers warned against it.
• Newly-released papers reveal Johnson's advisers told the government to advise against handshaking in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• Johnson told ITV that "I've been going around hospitals as you can imagine and always shake hands."
• New figures show the UK now has the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe.
• Boris Johnson continued to shake hands at public events after his own scientific advisers warned that doing so would risk spreading the coronavirus.
  Papers released on Tuesday by the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies reveal that the UK Prime Minister's advisers agreed that the government "should advise against greetings such as shaking hands."
  At a meeting on March 3 the papers reveal that "there was agreement that Government should advise against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene."
  However, Johnson continued to shake hands at multiple public events and media appearances, in the days that followed.On the day of the meeting Johnson told a press conference in Downing Street that "I'm shaking hands continuously. I was at a hospital the other night where there were actually a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody."Two days after the advice on hand-shaking, Johnson appeared on ITV's This Morning Programme during which he shook host Philip Schofield's hand, despite the presenter's apparent reluctance.
  "You came straight in here and I kept my hands by my side to see what would happen and you shook my hand," Schofield told him.
  Johnson replied that "I've been going around hospitals as you can imagine and always shake hands.
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