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Coronavirus: London records rapid transmission; life on hold amid scam alert
Oxford Street, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and major commuter hubs such as the Waterloo station recorded a fraction of the usual buzz and traffic. Tube and train travel was registered considerably low traffic.
This usually bustling metropolis presented a deserted look across most locations on Tuesday as people stayed at home following new advice from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said coronavirus was transmitting more rapidly in London than in the rest of the UK.
Oxford Street, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, the Strand and major commuter hubs such as the Waterloo station recorded a fraction of the usual buzz and traffic. Tube and train travel was registered considerably low traffic.
According to Johnson, London is “weeks ahead” of other UK regions in terms of the virus curve. He asked residents to pay special attention to the advice to work from home and to avoid unnecessary social contact.
Scotland Yard cautioned self-isolating people about trusting ‘kind’ strangers who may offer to run errands, but may lead to scams if credit card and other numbers are handed over. The Church of England put public worship on hold.
There are nearly 500 confirmed cases in London and at least 14 have died, according to latest figures. Following official advice, pubs, theatres and restaurants have either closed or cut services to few customers, affecting a large number of temporary jobs in the sector.
Johnson said: “The very draconian measures outlined will be asking a lot from the everyone. What we’re doing is giving very strong advice that public venues such as theatres should no longer be visited”.
“It’s important that Londoners now pay special attention to what we’re saying about non-essential contact and to take particularly seriously the advice about working from home and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants,” he added.
London mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed that all events in Trafalgar Square will be cancelled until further notice, including the St George’s Day festival on April 18, Vaisakhi on April 25 and Eid on May 30.
He said: “It is vital that we take all necessary precautions to ensure the health of all in our city. Our Trafalgar Square celebrations are key moments that bring communities together from across the capital, but the Government has advised that large gatherings should not take place so we will be cancelling them until further notice”.
“This is a challenging time for everyone but I want to reassure Londoners that we will continue to follow the advice of the medical experts and take the steps that are required to suppress this virus.”
Alerting people to opportunists and criminals taking advantage of the elderly and vulnerable in self-isolation, Scotland Yard said anyone being offered ‘kindness’ by cold callers by way of running errands, collecting prescriptions and doing shopping should not accept such services from strangers.
