'He didn't tell any of us': Piers Morgan attacks England boss Southgate for not revealing positive Covid test after pair met

Piers Morgan has criticized England manager Gareth Southgate for not informing him he had contracted Covid-19, after Southgate tested positive for the disease three days after speaking to Morgan at a media function in October.

The host of ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain responded to the news, which emerged in the UK press on Sunday, with a series of posts on Twitter, where has 7.6 million followers.

“Hmmmm... England manager Gareth Southgate reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 on Oct 25. I was chatting with him on Oct 22 at GQ Heroes event, with the magazine’s editors. He didn’t tell any of us he tested positive 3 days later. If dates are correct, that’s disgraceful," Morgan wrote. 

He followed this tweet up with a series of questions aimed at the England manager.

"I have some questions for Gareth Southgate: 1) When exactly did you first became Covid symptomatic? 2) Was the test on Oct25 routine or because you had symptoms? 3) Why did you not tell people you knew who you’d been with on Oct22 that you tested positive?"

Southgate has not yet responded publicly to Morgan’s comments, but earlier reports revealed that he tested positive on October 25 after developing symptoms of the virus.

He was then forced to self-isolate at his house in North Yorkshire for 10 days before further checks came back negative on November 5, enabling him to host a press conference on Zoom announcing his latest squad.

The England manager did not tell his players that he had previously contracted the disease as it happened between both two international breaks, instead keeping the news confidential among a close circle of friends and family.

Southgate oversaw England's win against Ireland last week. © Reuters

Between both national lockdowns, hospitality venues were required to inform customers of confirmed cases so that they could self-isolate, while millions of people have downloaded the track and trace app. However, there is no legal requirement for a person who contracts Covid to inform other people they have been in contact with that, although it is advised. 

Morgan has been among the most dogmatic figures during the pandemic, calling publicly for lockdowns and sustained social distancing measures while branding people raising concerns about the economy, civil liberties or the decline in standards for non-virus related treatments “Covidiots”, even inviting them to unfollow him on Twitter.