Scotland’s top medical official resigns after ignoring own coronavirus advice

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Scotland’s chief medical officer resigned Sunday after two consecutive weekend trips to her summer home -- violating her own advice to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Catherine Calderwood announced her departure in a statement after conferring with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Calderwood said the two agreed her actions risked distracting from the “hugely important job that government and the medical profession has to do in getting the country through this coronavirus pandemic”.

Photos published by The Scottish Sun show Calderwood with her family last weekend at their holiday home in Earlsferry.

Earlier Sunday, at a press briefing with Sturgeon, Calderwood repeatedly apologized for flouting her own guidance.

“I did not follow the advice I’m giving to others, I’m truly sorry for that,” she said.

Calderwood also apologized to the police, who spoke to her after one of the family trips.

“The legal instructions on not leaving your home without a reasonable excuse apply to everyone,” Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said in a statement.

“Individuals must not make personal exemptions bespoke to their own circumstances. It is vital everyone adheres to these requirements.”