Government refuses to rule out stricter coronavirus lockdown measures for London
Boris Johnson has refused to rule out introducing a stricter lockdown measures for London than across the rest of the nation as the capital suffers from an accelerated spread of the coronavirus.
The Prime Minister, specifically referencing the possibility of shutting down the city, told his daily press conference on Wednesday that it would be “quite wrong” to not leave such an option on the table.
A senior Government source earlier ruled out strict measures being imposed in the capital imminently, but suggested they could be enforced as early as Friday. "It's not going to happen today or tomorrow," the source said.
And addressing the nation later, Mr Johnson said: “"We do not rule out - because it would be quite wrong to do so - taking further and faster measures in due course."
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon first suggested that "more stringent" measures could be introduced earlier in London, because it is ahead on the "infection curve".
Ms Sturgeon, who has been receiving Cobra emergency briefings, said "we know London is ahead of the rest of us" when asked how far the UK was from a complete lockdown.
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Mr Johnson said he was reluctant to issue edicts restricting lives, and implored people to follow the advice to socially distance themselves to slow the spread of Covid-19.
"But let's be absolutely in no doubt that these are very, very important choices that we are now making in our daily lives," the Prime Minister told his daily coronavirus press conference.
"And the more closely and the more strictly, more ruthlessly, we can enforce upon ourselves, our families, the advice we are getting, then the better we will be able to protect our NHS, the fewer deaths we will have and the less suffering there will be in the UK population."
As yet it is unclear what exactly the possible stricter measures on the capital would look like.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has not attended a Cobra meeting since Monday and has reportedly not been informed about any drastic restrictions on Londoners' lives.
"We haven't had any information on that," a mayoral source said when asked about a lockdown.
