Coronavirus is spreading 'quickly and widely' in London, Mayor Sadiq Khan warns as number of new daily cases rises

The number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 in the UK capital has tripled in the past month, Mayor Sadiq Khan said, encouraging people to not take risks in order to slow down the pandemic.

London is at "a crucial stage in our fight against coronavirus," Khan said on Tuesday.

Coronavirus is spreading quickly and widely across London, with the number of people hospitalized for the disease tripling in the past month. We can slow the spread of this virus if we don't take risks. Follow the rules: wear a face mask, wash your hands and stick to the rule of six.

In late September, authorities declared all of London's boroughs "areas of concern." There were over 600 new cases a day at the time, and the number of cases has now risen to 1,000 per day, the latest official figures show. In the UK, authorities recorded an average of 10,586 Covid-19 cases per day over the last week.

Late last month, Khan cited a sharp rise in hospital admissions, and said that the near collapse of test and trace, and the resurgence of the virus means "new measures to slow its spread were absolutely necessary."

At the same time, Khan has questioned some of the restrictions imposed by the government. Last week, he called for an "immediate review" of the 10pm curfew on hospitality businesses. The earlier closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants "may be a counterproductive measure," he suggested, adding that "emergency financial aid" must be provided to businesses while the restrictions are in place.

The government may still impose additional restrictions "if necessary" to contain the spread of the virus. On Sunday, Britain reported a jump in daily Covid-19 cases to a record 22,961 after authorities said that more than 15,000 test results had been "lost" earlier due to a technical glitch.

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