
The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday – Friday plus breaking news updates
Further restrictions for London may be announced within days as the number of Covid-19 cases in the city hit more than 7,700 a week.
The capital is understood to be in a crucial week with the threat of another city-wide clampdown to stop the epidemic spreading looming.
It came after Londoners enjoyed what could be a last hurrah in the West End and elsewhere at the weekend.
Residents in the capital are being urged to prepare for new restrictions being imposed under the Government’s new three-tier system for the varying Covid-19 threats facing different parts of the country.
London is expected to be put into Tier 2 shortly if the virus continues to spread and this could happen early next week, or possibly even at the end of this week.
The new restrictions could come in at the start of half term for schools, causing problems for parents.
The Tier 2 restrictions would mean:
- A ban on mixing between households in homes, with the rule of six continuing to apply in gardens and other outdoor settings.
- Pubs and restaurants would remain open but the ban on mixing between households indoors is expected to apply to the hospitality sector, which would be a devastating blow to the industry.
Boris Johnson was chairing a meeting of Whitehall’s Cobra committee this morning before announcing in the Commons restrictions for other parts of the country, with the epidemic growing far quicker in the North and parts of the Midlands.
The focus of greatest concern within the Government is on these hotspots, which include Liverpool, and ministers will be reluctant to impose new restrictions on London given that it is Britain’s economic powerhouse.
However, the capital is also now understood to be at a “tipping point” in fighting the disease.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “It is highly likely that Londoners will also face more restrictions very soon because cases are rising so quickly across the city.”
Ministers, City Hall and health chiefs will this week scrutinise data streams for London to decide if action is needed.
Their task is made all the more difficult because the preferred option is for pan-London restrictions but infection levels vary hugely between boroughs.
They will have to make a judgment call on whether to order a clampdown, which is likely to be based in part on how many boroughs are registering about 100 new cases a week per 100,000 of the population.
Five boroughs had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population in the week to October 8 — Richmond, Hackney, Ealing, Redbridge and Harrow —according to an analysis of official figures by the PA news agency.
Infection rates have risen in all boroughs but there are signs that the growth of the epidemic in the capital may be weakening, particularly in boroughs which have taken strong action to combat it, and that the rise in hospitalisations could be tailing off.
Coronavirus hits the UK – In pictures
1/61
A deserted Westminster Bridge
PA
2/61
A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant
AFP via Getty Images
3/61
Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown
Andrew Parsons
4/61
Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London
AP
5/61
An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station
Jeremy Selwyn
6/61
Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield
PA
7/61
A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste
Reuters
8/61
People take part in a ‘We Do Not Consent’ rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo
AP
9/61
People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew
Reuters
10/61
Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol
Reuters
11/61
Graffiti reads ‘good luck and stay safe’, as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London
Reuters
12/61
A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London
Reuters
13/61
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London
AP
14/61
Riot police face protesters who took part in a ‘We Do Not Consent’ rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London
AP
15/61
A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester
REUTERS
16/61
An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London’s Piccadilly Circus
PA
17/61
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty Images
18/61
Durdle Door in Dorset
Reuters
19/61
Captain Tom Moore
via Reuters
20/61
Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in “PE with Joe” a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA
21/61
An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS
Reuters
22/61
Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno
@AndrewStuart via PA
23/61
Tobias Weller
PA
24/61
Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed
25/61
London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London.
Matt Writtle
26/61
A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus
PA
27/61
Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue
Reuters
28/61
A young man cuts another man’s hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford
Reuters
29/61
General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London
via Reuters
30/61
Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues
Reuters
31/61
A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace
Getty Images
32/61
A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home
PA
33/61
Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
34/61
Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers
PA
35/61
A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of “panic buying” cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus.
Getty Images
36/61
People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour
PA
37/61
Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus
PA
38/61
Children are painting ‘Chase the rainbows’ artwork and springing up in windows across the country
Reuters
39/61
Social distancing in Primrose Hill
Jeremy Selwyn
40/61
A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended
PA
41/61
Homeless people in London
AFP via Getty Images
42/61
A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
43/61
The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic
PA
44/61
A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world
Reuters
45/61
Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside
PA
46/61
Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street
Reuters
47/61
The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh’s Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
48/61
Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
PA
49/61
A sign at a Sainsbury’s supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world
Reuters
50/61
Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh
AFP via Getty Images
51/61
A sign advertising a book titled “How Will We Survive On Earth?”
Getty Images
52/61
A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria
Jeremy Selwyn
53/61
A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads “Diseases are in the City” in Edinburgh
AFP via Getty Images
54/61
Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors
PA
55/61
A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh
PA
56/61
A quieter than usual British Museum
Getty Images
57/61
A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask
SplashNews.com
58/61
A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station
Jeremy Selwyn
59/61
A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre
Getty Images
60/61
A deserted Trafalgar Square in London
PA
61/61
Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport
Getty Images
1/61
A deserted Westminster Bridge
PA
2/61
A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant
AFP via Getty Images
3/61
Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown
Andrew Parsons
4/61
Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London
AP
5/61
An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station
Jeremy Selwyn
6/61
Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield
PA
7/61
A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste
Reuters
8/61
People take part in a ‘We Do Not Consent’ rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo
AP
9/61
People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew
Reuters
10/61
Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol
Reuters
11/61
Graffiti reads ‘good luck and stay safe’, as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London
Reuters
12/61
A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London
Reuters
13/61
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London
AP
14/61
Riot police face protesters who took part in a ‘We Do Not Consent’ rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London
AP
15/61
A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester
REUTERS
16/61
An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London’s Piccadilly Circus
PA
17/61
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty Images
18/61
Durdle Door in Dorset
Reuters
19/61
Captain Tom Moore
via Reuters
20/61
Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in “PE with Joe” a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA
21/61
An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS
Reuters
22/61
Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno
@AndrewStuart via PA
23/61
Tobias Weller
PA
24/61
Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed
25/61
London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London.
Matt Writtle
26/61
A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus
PA
27/61
Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue
Reuters
28/61
A young man cuts another man’s hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford
Reuters
29/61
General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London
via Reuters
30/61
Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues
Reuters
31/61
A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace
Getty Images
32/61
A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home
PA
33/61
Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
34/61
Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers
PA
35/61
A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of “panic buying” cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus.
Getty Images
36/61
People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour
PA
37/61
Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus
PA
38/61
Children are painting ‘Chase the rainbows’ artwork and springing up in windows across the country
Reuters
39/61
Social distancing in Primrose Hill
Jeremy Selwyn
40/61
A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended
PA
41/61
Homeless people in London
AFP via Getty Images
42/61
A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
43/61
The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic
PA
44/61
A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world
Reuters
45/61
Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside
PA
46/61
Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street
Reuters
47/61
The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh’s Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
48/61
Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
PA
49/61
A sign at a Sainsbury’s supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world
Reuters
50/61
Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh
AFP via Getty Images
51/61
A sign advertising a book titled “How Will We Survive On Earth?”
Getty Images
52/61
A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria
Jeremy Selwyn
53/61
A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads “Diseases are in the City” in Edinburgh
AFP via Getty Images
54/61
Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors
PA
55/61
A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh
PA
56/61
A quieter than usual British Museum
Getty Images
57/61
A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask
SplashNews.com
58/61
A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station
Jeremy Selwyn
59/61
A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre
Getty Images
60/61
A deserted Trafalgar Square in London
PA
61/61
Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport
Getty Images
Barking and Dagenham was a hotspot area at the end of last month. But the latest figures showed its infection rate rising slowly to 67.2 new cases (143) in the week to October 8, from 62.9 (134). The borough has four vans touring to tannoy social-distancing messages and has closed down a string of premises for breaching the rules and told supermarkets to make customers wear face masks.
The overall number of new cases in London rose 56 per cent to 7,787 in the week to October 8, according to official figures, up from 4,996 in the previous seven days.