London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday declared a “major incident” in the UK capital due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, and warned that the state’s National Health Service is at risk of being overwhelmed.
Khan’s announcement represents a veritable verdict on the virus threat to London’s nine million residents as pressure on hospitals and ambulance services increases. A major incident is officially defined as “likely to involve serious harm, damage, disruption, or risk to the life or well-being of people, essential services, the environment, or national security.”
The mayor’s decision to declare a major incident in the capital will now mean that emergency services will have to make special arrangements to deal with the coveted crisis across the city.
“The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control,” Khan said. “The number of cases in London has risen rapidly, with more than a third more patients being treated in our hospitals compared to the peak of last April’s pandemic.”