Dominic Cummings, the British prime minister’s top adviser, said he behaved “reasonably and legally” in driving for child care needs while coming down with the coronavirus.

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a torrent of calls on Saturday to dismiss his most influential adviser, Dominic Cummings, after reports that Mr.

Cummings had visited relatives in northern England while he was ill with the coronavirus — a violation of Britain’s lockdown rules.

Cummings had driven to his parents’ house in Durham in April when the government was urging people to stay home — particularly those with symptoms of the virus — set off a political tempest, with critics accusing him of flouting the rules that apply to everybody else?

“The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for Dominic Cummings,” said a spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, who added that he had “breached the lockdown rules.”.

Cummings said, “I behaved reasonably and legally.” Asked whether his decision had been “a good look,” he replied: “Who cares about good looks.

Cummings has played in British politics since before the 2016 Brexit referendum.

He has accumulated a long list of enemies, including some in the Conservative Party, like Iain Duncan Smith, a former party leader, whom he has ridiculed or sidelined.

The adviser went to a house “near to but separate from his extended family,” the statement said, after his sister and nieces had offered to help.

“His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines,” the statement said.

Cummings on Saturday, including the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab; the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak; and the health secretary, Matt Hancock.

Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes.

Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.

Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home.

This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms.

Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing.

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor.

But the Labour Party said that Downing Street’s explanations “raised more questions than they answer” and called for an inquiry into Mr

While the Labour Party demanded answers, it stopped short of demanding his resignation

“So excuse me if I am beyond bloody incandescent at what Dominic Cummings did,” she wrote in a tweet that used another expletive