Health minister Gillian Keegan has apologised for continuing with an in-person meeting despite being told a lateral flow COVID test had come back positive.

Posting a thread on Twitter, Ms Keegan said she took a precautionary lateral flow test ahead of a planned visit and was told she had recorded a positive result while she was “listening to three fathers who had tragically lost their daughters to suicide”.

Ms Keegan said she told the individuals she had tested positive and “took further precautions” but continued the in-person meeting “for a short period to hear their stories” with their consent.

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The health minister added: “I should I should have immediately ended the meeting and on reflection this was an error of judgment on my part.

“I fully recognise the importance of following the letter and spirit of the policies, so want to be upfront about what happened and to apologise for the mistake I made.”

The government’s own coronavirus rules say an individual must isolate “straight away” if they record a positive lateral flow result.

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The NHS guidance for using a rapid lateral flow tests states: “Set a timer and wait 30 minutes before you read your result.

“A positive result can appear at any time after 20 minutes, however you should wait for the full 30 minutes to record a negative result as the test line (T) may take this long to appear.”

It is unclear what “further precautions” Ms Keegan took upon receiving the positive result and how long before the meeting the test was taken.

Pressed on Ms Keegan’s revelation, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Pat McFadden said: “Well, I think if you test positive you should probably go home.”

The health minister posted on social media that she is “now isolating at home” and feels “fine”.

As of last month, people with COVID-19 in England can end their self-isolation after five full days, as long as they test negative on day five and day six.

Asked about the situation on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Health minister Ed Argar said Ms Keegan “made an error of judgement” but had “issued a fulsome apology”.

“She has clearly issued a fulsome apology there, that she did make an error of judgement. She was open about that and she accepted she made an error of judgement,” he said.

Mr Argar added: “What I would say about Gillian here is that was something she instantly realised – she’d made an error of judgement, she has put that message out, she has apologised, she has acknowledged it.

“She moved very swiftly to apologise.”

Asked if people should isolate immediately if they test positive for coronavirus, Mr Argar continued: “Yes – and she made clear that she got that wrong and she has apologised for that.”

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