Mayor to meet London emergency services and transport officials in response to coronavirus outbreak
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will bring together senior officials and health specialists from across the capital to review and ensure the city is fully prepared to respond to the coronavirus.
While Khan and his team have been in continuous contact with Public Health England, and the UK Chief Medical Officers have assessed the risk to individuals as low, the Mayor is taking further steps to ensure the city is prepared and that all organisations in the capital are working together and sharing information.
The Mayor’s Advisory Group meeting on Monday will update him on preparedness and outline London’s readiness to cope with any future cases in the city.
Attendees will include senior officials from Public Health England, the NHS and NHS London, the Met Police Commissioner, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, Transport for London, representatives from London’s local authorities and health services and senior officials from the London Resilience Group - the partnership responsible for ensuring London’s preparedness in the event of major incidents and emergencies.
A group led by Fiona Twycross, Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience and Chair of the London Resilience Forum, continues to meet twice a week to monitor the potential impact on London.
Transport for London gave precautionary advice to London’s taxi and private hire drivers in the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak last week.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want to reassure Londoners that although the risk of coronavirus to individuals remains low, we are not complacent. I’m in regular contact with Public Health England to ensure we have the latest advice and to monitor the impact on our city.
“As Mayor, it is my role to ensure the city is fully prepared and that means ensuring that Londoners have access to the best possible advice. It’s also really important we are working together so if things were to get worse, we have everything in place to respond.”
If anybody suspects they have symptoms or are worried, they should not go to GP’s surgeries or to A&E. They should call 111 for advice or log onto the NHS website for the latest information.
Image credit: Greater London Authority
