London is likely to enter ‘full lockdown’ soon.
Cases of the virus in the capital are soaring above the rest of the UK, with confirmed cases in London taking up more than a third of the UK total.
According to reports, plans are currently being considered by UK officials, which are likely to include heavy restrictions on movement, with forced closures of pubs and restaurants and limits or bans on public events and gatherings.
In his daily press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said:
“I think a lot of people are making a real heroic effort to comply with the advice that we have given but as I’ve said tonight and in the past few days we keep everything under continuous review and we will not hesitate to bring forward further and faster measures where we think that is necessary.
Absolutely we do not rule out… because it would be quite wrong to do so… we do not rule out taking further and faster measures in due course.”
TfL have already announced closures on the tube network, including total suspension of the night tube, and all UK schools will be closed from Friday. So what’s next?
These emergency measures are likely to be introduced in the capital before anywhere else, where the spread of the virus is said to be weeks ahead of the rest of the UK. There are now 953 reported cases in London, compared to 2,626 in the whole of the UK.
CNN reports that, if these proposals do go ahead, Londoners would be given enough notice to make arrangements and prepare for the days or weeks ahead.
The Evening Standard has reported that “some 20,000 troops are on standby to help fight the Covid-19 crisis as the Government prepares to ramp up measures.”
More to follow.