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LONDON (REUTERS) – Britain reactivated emergency hospitals built at the start of the pandemic and closed primary schools in London on Friday (January 1) to counter the rapid spread of a much more infectious variant of the coronavirus.
With more than 50,000 new cases of Covid-19 daily over the past four days, the health service said it was preparing for an anticipated flood of patients and needed more beds.
The announcement comes just days after the Royal London Hospital told staff in an email that it was now in “disaster medicine mode” and could not provide high-level critical care.
Given that the capital is one of the areas most affected by the new variant, which is up to 70% more infectious, the government also decided to close all primary schools in London, reversing a decision made just two days ago.
“The education and well-being of children remains a national priority,” said Secretary of Education Gavin Williamson. “Moving other parts of London to remote education is really a last resort and a temporary solution.”
Britain is fighting a new wave of a virus that has already killed more than 74,000 people and crushed the economy. One of the most affected countries in the world, it registered 53,285 cases in the last 24 hours of Friday and 613 new deaths.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has come under fire for frequent setbacks during the pandemic, including delaying the shutdown during the first wave in March and abandoning a system for awarding school grades without exams.
Temporary “Nightingale” hospitals in places like convention centers were a success, built by the military in a matter of days. They were hardly used but have been kept on hold.
A report by Sky News said that intensive care units at three London hospitals were full on New Year’s Eve, forcing patients to be transferred to other hospitals for intensive care.
“Anticipating the pressures that will arise from the spread of the new variant of infection, the London region of the NHS was asked to ensure that the Nightingale was reactivated and ready to admit patients if necessary,” said one spokesperson for the National Health Service (NHS).
However, the Royal College of Nursing warned that the country does not have enough nurses to care for the new sites, especially with many sick with the virus or who are forced to isolate themselves.
On schooling, the government said it had to close all primary schools in the capital after a review of transmission rates.
On Wednesday, Williamson had outlined a plan to delay the reopening of secondary schools, but would open most elementary schools, including in much of the capital, in time the next week after Christmas break.
The opposition Labor Party said the last minute change would cause chaos for parents.
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