Coronavirus: London ‘catches up’ on Covid-19 hot spots

London is “catching up” on Covid-19 hotspots in northern England, Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office said.

Data from a few days ago suggested London was two weeks behind those areas, but is now said to show that the gap has closed at two to three days.

Khan said he would meet with council leaders on Monday and then recommend countermeasures to ministers.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he would not rule out new restrictions in London to slow the spread of the virus.

“The situation is clearly getting worse,” a Khan spokesman said.

“Sadiq will meet with council leaders tomorrow and then any London-specific action will be recommended to ministers.

“The mayor wants quick action because we cannot risk a delay, as happened in March.

“It’s better for health and business to move too early than too late.”

Pubs, restaurants and cafes offer table service only and all entertainment venues must close at 22:00 BST. Nursing homes are closed to non-essential visitors, except in end-of-life circumstances.

Khan is also said to be considering asking those who can work from home to do so, which runs counter to the government’s policy of urging people to return to offices.

A source in the city hall told the Press Association: “It is clear that the cases in London are only moving in one direction, we are now only a few days from the hotspots in the North West and North East. We cannot afford any further delays. .

“Introducing new measures now will help slow the spread of the virus and potentially avoid the need for a more complete lockdown as we saw in March, which could seriously damage the economy once again.”

Hancock, who said he had spoken to the mayor over the weekend, told Times Radio that he would not rule out advising people to work from home starting sometime next week.