THERE is “zero prospect” of transport in and out of London being restricted because of the coronavirus outbreak, No 10 has insisted as talk of a lockdown in the UK capital persists.
Downing St condemned irresponsible reporting about the possibility of a complete shutdown of London, the epicentre of the outbreak. Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “There are no plans to close down the transport network in London and there is zero prospect of any restrictions being placed on travelling in and out of London; it’s not happening,” later adding the Government had “no intention or plans” to place a ban on people moving in and out of the capital.
No 10’s intervention followed yesterday’s coronavirus press conference when the Prime Minister, when asked about a London lockdown, declined to rule out the possibility.
This morning, Gavin Williamson, the UK Education Secretary, was asked about such a prospect and said: “The Prime Minister will constantly be informed by the scientific and medical evidence. And, as has been demonstrated by the unprecedented move that we made yesterday in terms of closing schools, scrapping exams and all forms of other assessment, we will take the incredibly tough decisions that are sometimes needed in order to ensure the safety of the population.”
Transport for London has already announced up to 40 London Underground stations, which do not interchange with other lines could be closed while the Waterloo and City line and Night Tube services will not run from Friday.
Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, who is due to hold talks later with the PM and senior Whitehall officials, suggested transport in the capital could be scaled back even further.
He told the London Assembly: "I want to be clear now that the frequency of services is likely to continue to reduce, potentially very significantly, over the days and weeks ahead.
"We will do this in a way that makes sure essential workers can still get around and we will not reduce service levels so that the remaining trains and buses are crowded."
Mr Khan stressed that all residents of the capital should "strictly follow" the official advice, noting how he would be working from home as much as possible.
"We are clearly still in the early phase of this crisis but the spread of the virus is at a more advanced stage in London than in other parts of the country.
"This means that further measures will need to be introduced at the point at which they will have the biggest effect. I can assure Londoners that this is under constant review by the experts."
He warned that it might be necessary to introduce bans to stop people gathering in bars, restaurants and continuing to mix together in defiance of expert advice. He also pointed out people’s civil liberties might have to be curtailed to stop more lives being lost to the Covid-19 virus.
Giving evidence before MLAs, the Mayor, asked about a Paris-style formal ban ie ordering people to stay indoors except in certain limited circumstances, said: “We are not there yet. The advice from the Government is just advice. That provides a mixed message. It’s clearly not been clear enough. We may move to a situation where we move from advice to bans.”
Mr Khan criticised Londoners who were refusing to follow the official guidance on social distancing and were still travelling around the city.
In a direct message to the capital's residents, he said: "I can't say this clearly enough: people should not be travelling by any means unless they absolutely must.
"The scientific advice on this is very clear: Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary and this includes avoiding using the transport network.
"I want to see more Londoners following the expert advice, which means it's critical that we see far fewer Londoners using our transport network than is currently the case."
The Mayor said the capital was in the midst of an immensely challenging and anxious time for all Londoners.
"We are all rightly worried about our most vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours.
"But London has been through tough times before and throughout our city's history we have repeatedly demonstrated the power of coming together in common cause. Now is the time for us to do so again because we all have a part to play in preventing the spread of the virus and helping to save lives," he added.
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