Public Not Informed of Novichok Risk, Inquiry Reveals

An inquiry has been informed that health officials had issued early warnings regarding the potential for individuals to encounter discarded Novichok nerve agent. Nevertheless, this information was not disseminated to the public, partly due to concerns it might generate “anxiety,” according to testimony given on Thursday by a Public Health England witness, identified as V13A for anonymity. Public Health England was responsible for reducing dangers to the general population and providing safety recommendations following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March 2018, from which they recovered. The witness provided testimony during an investigation into the passing of Dawn Sturgess, 44, who succumbed in July of the same year after exposure to the nerve agent. By mid-March 2018, the Department of Health had developed a worst-case projection indicating that fatalities could occur from contact with a nerve agent container. The inquiry questioned witness V13A regarding a document that advised against instructing the public not to retrieve objects they had not dropped, stating this could ‘stoke panic’. However, the inquiry learned that despite this recommendation being considered, it was not implemented until four months subsequent to Ms Sturgess’s death, at which point public guidance was released cautioning individuals in the Salisbury vicinity against picking up litter. Emilie Pottle, counsel for the inquiry, inquired of the witness whether behavioral scientists had provided a foundation for the “panic that could ensue whether the advice was given”. V13A indicated that these specific terms originated from an official within the Department of Health and Social Care. Ms Pottle then responded: “So stoking panic was not one of your reasons”. V13A stated she would have employed the term “anxiety”. Catherine Roper, the chief of Wiltshire Police, has provided reassurance to the public concerning any continuing Novichok risk in Salisbury. She affirmed: “There’s absolutely nothing to indicate that this is a circumstance we’ll be experiencing again.” She added: “We have strengthened our relationship with all of our partners and many of them have been giving evidence during the inquiry so we are aligned, working closely together and there is nothing to indicate any concern.”