London’s Khan: Make Public Wear Masks Outside, Don’t Relax Corona Rules For Christmas

sadiq khan
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Jack Montgomery

London mayor Sadiq Khan is calling on the government to force the public to wear masks in public, to shut down secondary schools, and cancel Christmas

Mayor Khan, of the left-wing Labour party, published a statement demanding “regular asymptomatic testing [be] extended to all those unable to work from home and to [pupils] and staff at London’s secondary schools, sixth-form college and FE [Further Education] colleges,” adding that “Face coverings should also be made mandatory in busy outdoor public spaces, given the numbers on our high streets in the run-up to Christmas.”

Ironically, Mayor Khan may have helped to exacerbate the Chinese virus’ initial spread through the capital earlier in the year, having urged people to continue using the London Underground subway metro, or Tube, as late as March 3rd, insisting there was “no risk in using the Tube or buses or other forms of public transport, or going to a concert” in a televised interview. Britons were subsequently warned against using public transport by the government.

Mayor Khan also said that, due to what he claimed were “significant outbreaks among 10 to 19-year-olds”, the Conservative-led central government “must consider asking schools and colleges to close early and re-open later in January, with extra resource provided to support online learning.”

The leftist politician had hoped that such measures might stop London from being moved into Tier 3 lockdown, but to no avail, with ministers confirming that the capital and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will be subjected to harsher restrictions from Wednesday.

Khan lamented that the move would be “catastrophic” for the hospitality sector, in particular, with “hundreds of thousands of Londoners losing their jobs” a real possibility — but added that, nevertheless, “Londoners must keep following the rules.”

“So many pubs, restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels, having invested so much to make their venues safe, are only just clinging on by the skin of their teeth but will be forced to take another huge hit,” complained Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the UK Hospitality trade body.

“The burden of a region being moved into tier 3 falls almost exclusively on hospitality businesses. It is an illogical tactic that fails to tackle Covid effectively but does push businesses closer towards failure,” she added.

While expressing concern at times for the hospitality industry in London, Mayor Khan followed those comments up with a message for the government on Tuesday, that coronavirus restrictions shouldn’t be relaxed over Christmas.

Traditionally an important time of the year for British people, Boris Johnson’s government has allowed a limited number of exemptions to the ongoing coronavirus ‘tiers’ lockdown on Christmas day, with the attached condition that Britain will have to lockdown harder in January to make up for it. This doesn’t go for enough for Mayor Khan, however, who told the government on national television: “What I’d say to the government is I’m not sure you’ve got it right, in fact I’m sure you haven’t got it right in relation to the relaxations over Christmas”, reports Sky.

Even if the government did not heed his advice, Mayor Khan used his television soapbox to urge the public to voluntarily isolate themselves at Christmas, even if the government gave a dispensation to see family. He said: “If they don’t change the rules, my message to your viewers is we’re under no obligation to do all that’s allowed, there’s no reason you have to kiss or hug an older relation.”

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