London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Friday a “major incident” in the UK capital over the rapid spread of the coronavirus, warning that the National Health Service was at risk of being overwhelmed.
Khan’s announcement is a powerful verdict on the virus’s threat to London’s 9 million people as pressure on hospitals and ambulances increases. A major incident is officially defined as “likely to involve serious injury, damage, disturbance or risk to human life or well-being, essential services, the environment or national security”.
The mayor’s decision to declare a major incident in the capital will mean that special arrangements must now be made by the emergency services to deal with the covide crisis in the city.
“The situation in London is now critical, with the spread of the virus out of control,” Khan said. The number of cases in London has grown rapidly, with more than a third more patients being treated in our hospitals now compared to the peak of the pandemic in April last year.