‘Don’t blow it now’: Matt Hancock urges caution as cases catapult in London
Health secretary Matt Hancock has urged the public not to “blow it” by ignoring Covid restrictions, as new infections continue to surge across London, Essex and Kent.
Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing, Hancock said the latest official figures showed “a worrying rise in infections” in London.
The health secretary said the government faced difficult decisions over regional tier allocations, adding “but we have to make them to keep the virus under control”.
It comes after the UK reported a further 20,964 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, with London recording 4,114 new infections — its highest daily jump since the start of the pandemic.
“This shows us this fight is not over,” said Hancock, as he warned the country not to “blow it now”.
The health secretary fended off claims restrictions could be eased for New Year celebrations, telling Downing Street that a failure to adhere to local restrictions would result in tougher measures down the line.
Ministers today faced growing pressure to place London in Tier 3 ahead of the Christmas period, after 21 out of 32 boroughs noted a rise in cases in the week to 2 December.
Latest data from Public Health England showed that London’s infection rate now stands at 191.8 per 100,000 — the highest in the country.
The government is set to review the current tier system on 16 December, with Hancock warning that many regions across the country face tougher restrictions.
Professor Chris Whitty added that the latest infection figures in the capital were “concerning”, but that the government would not make any new decisions regarding the tier system until next Wednesday.
Whitty said the NHS had no plans to reopen the Nightingale Hospital in London’s Excel Centre for the foreseeable future, though adding that the situation may change if the capital sees a further spike in hospitalisations.
Professor Kevin Fenton, London director for Public Health England, told Morning Wire the capital must “work together” to prevent a surge in cases.
“Covid-19 behaves like clockwork — the more contact we have with others, the higher the chance of us catching or spreading the virus,” he said. “If we want to keep infections down, every one of us needs to remain vigilant and follow the rules as we go about shopping, eating out or meeting friends outdoors.”
“We’ll need to work together to prevent a big surge in cases in London ahead of the festive period so we must all do our bit and limit the spread over the coming days and weeks.”
It comes as the UK’s leading hospitality bodies told Morning Wire that placing London in Tier 3 would deliver a “killer blow” for thousands of businesses in the capital.
“Hospitality has continued to take on a disproportionate burden to allow other parts of the economy to reopen during this crisis,” said Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality.
Read more: Placing London in Tier 3 would deliver ‘killer blow’ for hospitality venues
“These businesses have invested significant time, effort and money to create Covid-secure spaces, and they can play a role in keeping transmission rates down.”
Nicholls added that “the prospect of London moving into Tier 3 would deliver a killer blow that many hospitality businesses simply wouldn’t recover from”.