London has seen more than its share of crisis. The 2,000-year-old metropolis has suffered from a flu pandemic, the Blitz, and several financial crises in the past century.
Time and time again, London has come roaring back, relying on a spirit of resistance and reinvention that is being summoned once again as the British capital seeks to recover from what could be the greatest turmoil of this century: the coronavirus pandemic.
The spread of the virus and efforts to contain it turned one of the world’s most lively urban meccas into a virtual ghost town, drove millions of people out of the city center and its financial district, and suddenly stopped trade.
Nowhere was the stop more acutely captured than in the pillar of life in the city of London: the Underground.
Underground travel for the month of March fell 43% from the 106 million recorded in February, and sank further in April, during the heyday of the running of the bulls, to just 5.7 million. Social distancing rules mean that the tube can only handle up to 15% of its normal traffic, according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The consequences of the confinement have been severe. London’s economy is expected to contract almost 17% this year, according to city government figures, a steeper drop than the 14% decline the Bank of England expects for the UK as a whole.
Businesses in London are expected to cut some 460,000 jobs, or about 7% of the workforce, with manufacturing, construction, retail, and accommodation and food services being the worst hit. Employment is not expected to fully recover until 2022.
With severely limited transportation and a possible coronavirus vaccine many months away, the people and businesses that have made London a hub of real estate, finance, arts, hospitality and technology are desperately trying to reinvent themselves in hopes. to survive the pandemic. .
A sign of progress: pubs, restaurants and beauty salons may reopen on Saturday, provided they follow the guidelines for social distancing.
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