Today the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, answered questions from Members of the London Assembly about the emerging COVID-19 Coronavirus situation at Mayor's Question Time. He urged all Londoners to make sure they are following the latest advice from the Government at all times, and to do their part in keeping themselves and others safe.
Local London Assembly Member for City & East London, Unmesh Desai AM, asked the Mayor what his message was for frontline officers in the Metropolitan Police Service while they are working hard to keep Londoners safe.
In response, the Mayor underlined that, while London's Metropolitan Police Service have for some time been under-resourced and overstretched, they are the very best in the world. The Mayor explained that the Met will likely be subject to emergency legislation to be published today in Parliament. This is expected to give them extra measures to detain and isolate members of the public as necessary to prevent the spread of the virus and do even more to protect Londoners.
The Mayor further commended the Met for always demonstrating a "can do" mentality that Londoners are able to rely on even in these difficult times.
Unmesh Desai AM went on to ask the Mayor what he would say to Londoners concerned about rises in hate crime. This comes as some politicians have chosen to refer to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus”. The Mayor said everybody should be clear that the crisis must not be used to "denegrate, demean and dehumanise" any group and that the current situation should never be an excuse to divide people.
The Mayor also gave Londoners further advice during Mayor's Question Time on how the capital can cope in these unprecedented times – explaining that he will be setting an example by working from home where possible, and urging all Londoners to avoid any journey that isn't completely necessary. He reminded Londoners that TfL will soon be closing down the Waterloo & City line, the Night Tube and a number of Underground stations. He warned Londoners to expect services to reduce “very significantly” in the coming days.
Speaking after Mayor's Question Time, Unmesh Desai AM said:
"Today, the Mayor of London gave assurances to me and other Members of the London Assembly that everything possible is being done to ensure London is prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak, and to keep Londoners safe.
"As the Mayor said, it's crucial everyone in London follows all the latest advice to help keep themselves and everyone else as safe as we can.
"I welcome the Mayor joining me in making a very strong statement that Londoners should stay united at this time and reject any attempts to divide us."
Notes to editors
- Unmesh Desai AM is the London Assembly Member for City & East.