The Mayor of London has declared a major incident in the capital
Dear Editor,
The Mayor of London has declared a major incident in the capital as COVID-19 cases continue to surge with the arrival of a new, significantly more infectious strain.
In London, 1 in 30 are thought to be infected, and this rate increases to 1 in 20 in some boroughs. The situation could not be starker, and our hospitals and heroic NHS staff have been pushed beyond breaking point.
Urgent operations are being cancelled, ambulances are stuck queuing outside hospitals and critical care is under intense pressure.
This is why it is absolutely vital that we stay at home, and only leave our front doors for essential reasons. Each bit of unnecessary contact we have, puts ourselves and others at risk.
I am encouraging members of our community to also go further than the guidelines and wear masks in busy outdoor spaces, such as supermarket queues and town centres.
Whilst we play our part in containing the virus, the Government must immediately increase the support available for those who need to self-isolate, increasing Statutory Sick Pay so it is equivalent with the London Living Wage and abolishing No Recourse to Public Funds.
Yours,
Florence Eshalomi AM MP
London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark