Calls for two-week ‘circuit-breaker lockdown’ across London

Calls for two-week ‘circuit-breaker lockdown’ across London thumbnail

The Government is coming under increasing pressure to put London under stricter lockdown measures.

Labour MP Sam Tarry has written to health secretary Matt Hancock calling for a two-week ‘circuit-breaker lockdown’ across London.

He said it is clear the Government ‘must act decisively’ to slow soaring coronavirus infection rates across the capital, particularly in his local borough which has one of the highest rates in London.

The MP for Ilford South added: ‘Clearly this will mean that additional financial support needs to urgently be provided to all workers and businesses who will be affected.

‘However, the cost of this support will be far smaller than that which will be required if infection and death rates soar and London is forced into a much longer lockdown to relieve the strain on our healthcare systems and prevent yet again suffering the worst Covid-related death toll in Europe as we saw during the first wave.

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‘The lives of my constituents are literally in the hands of this Government.’

It comes after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned yesterday Londoners could be subject to further lockdown measures very soon after the city’s infection rate doubled in just two weeks.

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The capital was placed in a tier one lockdown on Monday, meaning locals escaped being immediately placed under tighter restrictions – but Mr Khan warned ‘this could change very quickly’.

He claimed London could be plunged into a tier two lockdown ‘potentially this week’.

A spokesperson for Mr Khan told MailOnline: ‘The mayor met with London leaders today to examine the latest data on the spread of the virus in the city and to discuss the Government’s new national alert system.

‘The virus is now spreading very quickly in every corner of London. The number of cases is rapidly increasing and all the indicators we look at are moving in the wrong direction.

‘As of today, London is at “medium” in the Government’s new alert levels. However, Londoners should understand that this could change very quickly – potentially even this week.’

Anyone living in an area under tier two of the system is prohibited from mixing with other households indoors.

Residents can mix outside – as long as the ‘rule of six’ is observed – but are asked to only make essential journeys and not travel too far outside the area, unless it is absolutely necessary.

On Friday Mr Khan told LBC Radio that a local lockdown in London is ‘inevitable’.

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