Coronavirus: London headed for tighter lockdown rules as capital at 'tipping point,' Sadiq Khan warns

Further restrictions are ‘inevitable’ in the capital, Mr Khan says

London is heading for additional coronavirus restrictions, Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned, describing the capital as being at a “tipping point”.

Mr Khan said further restrictions across London are “inevitable", telling LBC that he expected an announcement of enhanced rules alongside the government’s unveiling of a new tiered system next week.

He said any restrictions would be city-wide, rather than differing by borough, as "it's the most effective way to reduce the spread of this virus". 

Mr Khan said: "My prediction is there will be more restrictions being brought in because we don't want to see in October and November what we saw in March and April." 

The mayor explained that there were three levels of restrictions, with the capital currently being at level one – the most relaxed of the three stages, including rules such as mandatory mask-wearing and limiting gatherings to six people. He compared level three to a lockdown.

He said: “You’ve got three buckets, level one the least restrictions, level three the most – similar to lockdown-type measures.

“What’s clear to me is that it’s inevitable there will be additional restrictions in London.

“What we are discussing as ‘One London’ is what we think the right level should be and work with government to make sure we have the right level there.”

Mr Khan said he had been working with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, to develop the measures. 

"We will have all the data and the options in front of us before we make a decision," he said. 

Following a technical issue with the NHS Test and Trace system last week that saw nearly 16,000 positive cases not reported in the daily tallies, the mayor stressed “we can’t rely on the testing system”. 

He added that they were using a number of other indicators to gauge infection levels in the capital, including calls to 111 and GPs, but also the presence of antibodies in blood donations.