Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called a major incident over the threat of Covid-19.

He said one in 30 residents of the capital currently has the virus.

Mr Khan said more than 7,000 people are in London hospitals due to covid, a 35% rise on levels last spring.

The London Ambulance Service is taking 8,000 calls a day - a typical busy day is 5,500.

The major incident declaration will allow key agencies to coordinate a special response to the coronavirus crisis.

"Today I have declared a major incident in London because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point. One in 30 Londoners now has Covid-19," Mr Khan said.

"If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die."

Police statement

Matt Twist of the Met Police said: "There can be no doubt that right now we find ourselves at a serious and dangerous crossroads for London; everyone must look at this news and understand that our health service is nearing breaking point.

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"I know Londoners will be shocked that officers are still dealing with a small selfish minority who think the rules don't apply to them by holding house parties, large warehouse raves or other gatherings. These are creating breeding grounds for the much more transmissible variant.

"Earlier this week the Met issued refreshed instructions to officers to issue fines more quickly to anyone committing obvious, wilful and serious breaches. That is happening and it will continue to happen."

He added: "My message to the majority who are sticking to the rules is 'thank you'. You are London's unsung heroes and your actions are undoubtedly helping to save lives.

"To those who have broken the rules or are thinking of doing so, I urge you to see the bigger picture otherwise you face enforcement action - and risk losing family or friends and leaving an indelible impact on your community."

Update from council leader

Richmond Council's leader Cllr Gareth Roberts gave an update to residents today (Friday, January 8) on the borough's response to covid.

He said 1,304 people have tested positive in the last seven days and the virus claimed four lives.

Mr Roberts said people who cannot work from home should get tested as frequently as they can under the new rapid test programme.

You can watch his video message at the top of this story.

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