London Mayor Wants Schools to Close to Stem Tide of Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) -- London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for schools in the capital to close to stem a rising tide of coronavirus infections that threatens to push the city into the government’s tightest pandemic rules.

Khan wants schools to break early for Christmas, with lessons continuing online until the end of term, and to reopen later than usual in January.

In a statement on Twitter, the mayor also called for face coverings to be made mandatory in all busy outdoor public spaces such as shopping streets. London members of Parliament were being briefed by health officials on the pandemic picture in the city on Monday morning.

“The surge in coronavirus cases across our capital is deeply concerning,” Khan said. “I am calling on the government to urgently provide additional support to get the spread under control, save lives and livelihoods and ensure our NHS is not overwhelmed this winter.”

The virus is rising across vast swathes of the capital, mainly in the east and north, and last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the fastest increase is among school children aged 11 to 18. The government is due to review coronavirus restrictions across the country on Dec. 16, and data revealed to London’s MPs last week showed the city on track to be placed in Tier 3, the highest level of restrictions.

‘Immediate Action’

There are more than 3,000 schools in London, according to the mayor’s office. One London borough, Greenwich, has already requested the closing of schools from Monday evening, citing a “period of exponential growth” in the virus that “demands immediate action.”

“We now have the highest rates of infection in Greenwich than at any time since March,” council leader Dan Thorpe said in a letter published on Twitter. “I wouldn’t be asking for this unless the risk was extreme.”

Tier 3 entails the closure of pubs, bars, restaurants and indoor entertainment venues -- though not schools. Khan last week warned of a “long winter ahead of us” and said Tier 3 restrictions would be “catastrophic” for the capital’s hospitality industry. But the Labour mayor’s call for schools to be closed will put him in conflict with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, which has made keeping them open a priority.

“The plan is for schools to stay open, we think that’s the best thing for pupils,” Business Secretary Alok Sharma told Sky News on Monday. “We will work with local authorities on a case-by-case basis.”

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