London faces lockdown because it has THREE TIMES more coronavirus cases than any other region in the UK but why? And how many patients have been struck down in YOUR borough?
- More than 900 cases are in London – Southwark is the worst affected borough
- One in three patients diagnosed in the UK are in London, statistics show
- Around 50 of the 137 deaths recorded have been in London, including 16 today
- South East has had 285 cases and the Midlands has had a total of 234
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said London will not go into lockdown
- Do you have a coronavirus story? Email vanessa.chalmers@mailonline.co.uk
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
London has three times more cases of the killer coronavirus than any other region in the UK, according to official statistics.
More than 900 cases have already been confirmed in the capital, with the boroughs of Southwark, Westminster and Lambeth the worst affected.
In comparison, fewer than 300 people have been struck down in the second worst hit region, the South East.
London makes up more than a third of the UK's infection toll, which has already seen 2,626 cases confirmed by health officials.
Around 50 of the 137 deaths recorded in Britain have been in London, including 16 of the 33 announced today.
It comes as Boris Johnson today said the capital – home to almost 9million people – will not face being locked down this week.
Fears are growing that travel around and in or out of the city will be stopped because the capital is driving the spread of the outbreak.
Despite London being the epicentre of the UK's escalating crisis, the worst affected single authority in England is Hampshire.
Southwark, Westminster and Lambeth are the areas of London with the most coronavirus cases. London is, in turn, the area of Britain with the most combined cases
London has three times more cases of the killer coronavirus than any other region in the UK
London is the epicentre of the UK's escalating coronavirus crisis. However, the worst affected authority in England is Hampshire (pictured). Southwark, Westminster, Lambeth, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea are within the 10 hardest hit coronavirus spots in the UK
Pressure if building on the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to completely shut London down in order to prevent more cases. Pictured, travellers on the London Underground today
More than 900 cases stretch across the city of 9million people, with Southwark, Westminster and Lambeth the most affected. Pictured, a man wearing a mask at London Bridge today
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London has been described as the 'superspreader city' and the engine of the UK's coronavirus outbreak after the total number of deaths doubled from 16 to 33 in 24 hours yesterday – it is now 37.
Southwark, Westminster, Lambeth, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea are among the 10 hardest hit areas in the UK, each reporting more than 50 cases.
Outside of the capital, the rural counties of Hampshire (77 cases), Hertfordshire (50), and Surrey (39) are facing growing clusters. They are all within South East England, which has so far reported 18 COVID-19 deaths.
A large number of authorities have recorded fewer than 10 cases, including Wiltshire, Bradford, and the London suburbs of Kingston and Richmond.
Just four authorities – Middlesbrough, North East Lincolnshire, Rutland and Telford and Wrekin – have yet to record their first case.
Officials have admitted their testing figures do not show the true scale of the outbreak in the UK and claimed tens of thousands of patients could already be infected.
The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the best estimate was to assume there was 1,000 cases for every death.
Health chiefs yesterday revealed 33 more patients had died, up from the 16 recorded the day before. It means 104 fatalities have now been confirmed in the UK.
Using the Government's maths, this could mean there are around 100,000 cases in the UK.
London, being heavily populated and have strong transport connections both within and outside the city, is at high risk of a large outbreak, experts have warned.
Mr Khan criticised Londoners who were refusing to follow the official guidance on social distancing and were still travelling around the city. Pictured, commuters on a busy tube today
London's cases make up more than a third of the total across the UK, where 2,626 people were recorded as of 9am on March 18. Pictured, a man wearing a mask on the tube today
Dr Robin Thompson, junior research fellow in mathematical epidemiology, University of Oxford, said: 'In general, if an initial case is in a densely populated area, then the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission following is higher.
'This is exacerbated by the fact that London is a transport hub, and the underground could provide a network to spread the virus quickly.'
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health, University of Southampton, said: 'The extensive London public transport system provides potential opportunities for transmission, with many people mixing in relatively small spaces.
'However, the evidence related to ground transportation as a key factor in transmission of respiratory infectious disease is actually fairly limited.
'Whilst studies have linked some transmission of flu to use of public ground transport, it is not normally the main factor in the spread of an outbreak due to relatively short time periods of being in close proximity to an infected case.
'We have evidence that international travel is usually a more important factor for spread, in part due to time spent near an infectious person.'
A commuter wears a mask whilst walking across London Bridge into the City of London during the morning rush hour today
In the centre of the capital streets are largely empty as people stay away amid the spread of coronavirus. Pictured is Parliament Square
The PM has called for people who live in London to pay special attention to government's advice on isolation and social distancing, as the city is ahead of the rest of the country in terms of transmission speed.
He has refused to rule out the possibility of 'further and faster measures' to control the spread of the virus on the busy streets of the capital.
He said 'ruthless' enforcement of so-called social distancing measures – such as working from home and avoiding social gatherings in pubs, cinemas and restaurants – was needed.
Some Londoners do not appear to be following Government advice to socially distance themselves and are still taking themselves to bustling pubs, clubs and restaurants.
People have been told not to travel unless they have to, but there are concerns about the number of people continuing to commute to work on public transport.
As a result, the London Underground will run with reduced services 'until further notice', with up to 40 stations that do not interchange with other lines closed.
It is likely services will be scaled back further, the Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
'I want to be clear now that the frequency of services is likely to continue to reduce, potentially very significantly, over the days and weeks ahead,' Mr Khan said.
'We will do this in a way that makes sure essential workers can still get around and we will not reduce service levels so that the remaining trains and buses are crowded.'
Mr Khan criticised Londoners who were refusing to follow the official guidance on social distancing and were still travelling around the city.
In a direct message to the capital's residents, he said: 'I can't say this clearly enough: people should not be travelling by any means unless they absolutely must.
'The scientific advice on this is very clear: Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary and this includes avoiding using the transport network.
'I want to see more Londoners following the expert advice, which means it's critical that we see far fewer Londoners using our transport network than is currently the case.'
London is on the verge of following the example of other cities around the world which have been raged by the virus and gone into so -called lockdown as a result.
The Army has put 20,000 troops on standby to be deployed to Britain's streets, hospitals and other key sites to help tackle the pandemic.
However, police are said to be concerned that draconian measures would be unenforceable and could even lead to public disorder.
Labour former prime minister and chancellor Gordon Brown said today the scale of the crisis now facing the country is 'unprecedented'.
He said the aggressive measures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, particularly in London, were necessary.
'I think people have got to accept that at certain points, as we've done before, we bring in the Army to help us in certain respects.
'I'm not advocating greater legal sanctions but I am advocating using all the resources of this country.'
| LOCAL AUTHORITY | TOTAL CASES | LOCAL AUTHORITY | TOTAL CASES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | 77 | East Sussex | 8 |
| Southwark | 70 | Wirral | 8 |
| Westminster | 68 | Bolton | 7 |
| Lambeth |
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style="background-color: #990000; color: white;">61
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
7
Wandsworth
59
Bury
7
Kensington and Chelsea
55
Havering
7
Hertfordshire
50
Kingston upon Thames
7
Brent
45
Lincolnshire
7
Ealing
42
North Tyneside
7
Harrow
40
Redbridge
7
Surrey
39
Richmond upon Thames
7
Sheffield
36
Somerset
7
Cumbria
34
Barnsley
6
Merton
34
Central Bedfordshire
6
Oxfordshire
34
Rochdale
6
Bromley
32
Sandwell
6
Croydon
32
Stockton-on-Tees
6
Camden
30
Torbay
6
Hackney and City of London
29
Cheshire West and Chester
5
Haringey
29
Dorset
5
Islington
29
Plymouth
5
Nottinghamshire
28
Reading
5
Barnet
27
Southend-on-Sea
5
Buckinghamshire
27
Wakefield
5
Derbyshire
27
Worcestershire
5
Enfield
27
Blackpool
4
Essex
27
Coventry
4
Birmingham
25
Halton
4
Devon
25
Medway
4
Hammersmith and Fulham
25
Milton Keynes
4
Tower Hamlets
25
Norfolk
4
Hounslow
24
North Somerset
4
Newham
23
Northumberland
4
Lewisham
22
Portsmouth
4
Wolverhampton
22
Rotherham
4
Hillingdon
21
Salford
4
Kent
21
Sefton
4
Greenwich
19
Southampton
4
Manchester
18
Warrington
4
Bexley
17
Wigan
4
Lancashire
15
York
4
Northamptonshire
15
Bath and North East Somerset
3
Barking and Dagenham
14
Bracknell Forest
3
Cambridgeshire
14
Calderdale
3
Leicestershire
14
County Durham
3
Nottingham
14
Doncaster
3
Staffordshire
14
Herefordshire, County of
3
Trafford
14
Leicester
3
Walsall
14
Luton
3
Waltham Forest
14
Shropshire
3
Newcastle upon Tyne
13
Sunderland
3
Slough
13
Swindon
3
Bristol, City of
12
West Berkshire
3
Gloucestershire
12
Darlington
2
Leeds
12
Isle of Wight
2
Liverpool
12
Kirklees
2
Oldham
12
Peterborough
2
Sutton
12
South Tyneside
2
Tameside
12
St. Helens
2
Brighton and Hove
11
Thurrock
2
Derby
11
Bedford
1
North Yorkshire
11
Blackburn with Darwen
1
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
10
Gateshead
1
Dudley
10
Hartlepool
1
East Riding of Yorkshire
10
Kingston upon Hull, City of
1
Stockport
10
Knowsley
1
Suffolk
10
North Lincolnshire
1
Warwickshire
10
Redcar and Cleveland
1
West Sussex
10
Solihull
1
Windsor and Maidenhead
10
Stoke-on-Trent
1
Wokingham
10
Middlesbrough
0
South Gloucestershire
9
North East Lincolnshire
0
Wiltshire
9
Rutland
0
Bradford
8
Telford and Wrekin
0
Cheshire East
8
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