Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision compares the pandemic situation to an earthquake or flood
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has proclaimed a “major incident” in the city due to the appalling increase in Omicron cases. The capital could soon run out of enough policemen, firefighters, nurses, doctors and ambulance drivers, themselves infected and forced into isolation. London must prepare for a total emergency situation, such as after an earthquake or flood.
There have been 65,525 new cases in the city in the past week, peaking close to 30,000 on the last day alone. The graphs show a curve that starts from almost zero infections at the beginning of the month and progressively rears up, with the sick doubling within a few hours. The number of Covid patients admitted to hospitals has already increased by 29%, forcing operators to reduce assistance for other diseases.
A major incident is an emergency situation which allows essential services to act on the basis of special provisions. It is proclaimed by the mayor in the event that the city has suffered or is at risk of suffering serious damage, interruption of essential services, risks to human life, the environment or national security. During a major incident it is also possible that you may have to face a limited ability of the rescuers to find resources and manage the emergency. The last time it was proclaimed on January 8th, in the midst of the pandemic, and was revoked on February 26th with the decrease in infections.
The government is trying in every way to save Christmas, but pressure is increasing on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to shut down everything and even ban family reunions. The campaign to inject the third dose to the vaccinated continues unabated, but there is still a long way from guaranteeing everyone a more effective immunity against the new variant. “The main problem we have – the mayor told the BBC – is the number of Londoners who have contracted the virus and this is causing staff absences and reducing the ability of our public services to function at optimal levels. I am very concerned about the absences of the operators in the national health service, in the fire brigade, in the police service, in our local councils. That is why it is important that all those who have the right to receive the recall do so ».
The vaccination campaign got a big boost, with 800,000 people receiving the third dose last Friday versus 400,000 the previous week, but the virus is speeding up and Omicron cases have tripled in just 24 hours. The mayor urged all Londoners to book the recall or to go to the numerous centers set up in the streets, where it is enough to enter to receive the dose.
Scientists advise the government to immediately take radical measures, but Johnson would be oriented to save Christmas and to declare immediately after two weeks of total blockade, a kind of “short circuit” that would have the purpose of blocking the flow of the virus, as is done. in the mountains when a treeless line is created to prevent the fire from destroying the entire forest. But it doesn’t necessarily work, because Omicron could then return from abroad. The only proven way to stop it or make it nearly harmless is the third dose. But hundreds of millions of people around the world, and tens of millions in Europe, have yet to take the first two.
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