London declares ‘major incident’ over Omicron spread

By AFP and ToI Staff 18 December 2021, 6:44 pm

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Shoppers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of COVID-19, walks past stores on the final Saturday before Christmas, on Oxford Street in London, on December 18, 2021. (Tolga Akmen/AFP)

London mayor Sadiq Khan declares a “major incident” in the British capital due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

More than 65,000 new cases have been confirmed in London over the past seven days. The UK Health Security Agency says confirmed Omicron-variant COVID-19 cases hit 24,968 as of Friday afternoon, up by just over 10,000 cases from 24 hours earlier. This is the highest number in Britain since the start of the pandemic.

A major incident is defined as an event with a range of serious consequences which require special arrangements to be implemented, and is aimed at helping authorities support each other to reduce service disruption in the city.

Khan previously declared a major incident on January 8 during a previous wave of the virus, but stood down the order a month later as case numbers fell.

“The surge in cases of the Omicron variant across our capital is hugely concerning, so we are once again declaring a major incident because of the threat of COVID-19 to our city,” says Khan.

“It’s right that London’s key agencies work closely together to minimize the impact on our city, including helping to protect the vital vaccination program,” he adds.

Britain has recorded record case numbers for three days in a row, prompting the introduction of new regulations and reports of another lockdown on the way.