Is London going into lockdown?
21 September 2020, 12:30
London lockdown: Mayor Sadiq Khan is reportedly meeting with council leaders today to discuss tougher restrictions.
There are concerns that London could be heading for another lockdown following a rise of coronavirus cases in the capital.
While nothing has been confirmed, Mayor Sadiq Khan has spoken out on the potential for a localised lockdown similar to those seen in the North East of England.
Peter John, Chair of the London councils, has said that the infection rates in London are doubling every two weeks - but that testing capability has been cut by a fifth.
He said in an interview that he's 'massively worried' authorities will be forced to impose restrictions as cases are ‘only going in one direction and only going to speed up’.
Read more: Matt Hancock says second lockdown 'would be different to first' as he hints at new restrictions
Mr John added: "We are going to see an influx of half a million students into the city and that is bound to have an impact."
Is London heading for a second lockdown?
According to some reports, London Mayor Sadiq Khan is keen to impose some lockdown restrictions in the capital as early as today (Monday 21 September).
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that he will meet with Mr Khan today to discuss the possibility of tighter restrictions in London.
When asked whether Londoners might be asked to work from home, Mr Hancock refused to rule it out.
He said: "The first line of defence is people’s behaviour.
"But then, after that, local lockdowns are necessary, and I’ve brought in local action right across different parts of the country where cases are rising.
"I’ve had discussions this week with the Mayor of London and the teams are meeting today to discuss further what might be needed."
Sadiq Khan recently said they were looking into 'all possibilities' when it comes to tackling coronavirus in the capital.
He said: "What we’ve seen in other parts of the country and in the North East in particular is an instruction for bars and restaurants to close at 10pm.
Sir Patrick Vallance warns of nearly 50,000 cases per day in mid-October
"The reason for that is to minimise the amount of hours people spend socialising which can increase the risk of the virus spreading.
"We’re looking into all possibilities in London and we’re looking to see which policies across the country are successful."
There have also been reports that individual London boroughs could be given powers to impose local lockdowns.
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