Londoners Told to Act to Stop Covid With City at ‘Tipping Point’
Londoners Told to Act to Stop Covid With City at ‘Tipping Point’
(Bloomberg) -- London residents are being told to take immediate action to avoid catching and spreading coronavirus amid warnings that the U.K. capital is at a “tipping point” in its fight with the disease.
As the government announced a new crackdown on households mixing in northern England, Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England said Covid-19 cases in the city have been “steadily increasing” for the last few weeks.
Residents must know that the capital is at a “tipping point” and need to make a “continued conscious effort to consider our movements and behavior,” Fenton said in an emailed statement. His warning underlined fears that the virus had taken off again because Britons were not following the rules on social distancing and isolating if they have symptoms.
A Scottish National Party politician broke self-isolation rules to attend Parliament in London this week while waiting for the result of a test, which later came back positive for Covid-19.
Margaret Ferrier, the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West near Glasgow, apologized “unreservedly” for her actions. But she faces disciplinary measures from her own party and an investigation by Parliament’s authorities. One of her own SNP colleagues said she should resign.
In the House of Commons on Thursday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced new rules for large areas of northern England.
Residents in the Liverpool region, as well as Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, will be banned by law from meeting other households in settings such as pubs and restaurants. Hancock also warned against “all social mixing between households,” advised residents not to attend sporting events and to only visit care homes in “exceptional circumstances.”
Hancock told members of Parliament that, while an Imperial College London study shows the virus reproduction rate may now be falling across the country, infections are “highly localized” and rising fast in some areas.
The government’s chief scientific adviser warned this week that the pandemic was not under control and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he won’t hesitate to impose stricter rules if necessary. The government is trying to tackle the disease using localized measures to avoid a national lockdown that would stall the economy.
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