CORONAVIRUS COMMUTE
Matt Hancock demands Sadiq Khan put on more Tubes saying ‘no good reason’ for crammed carriages
MATT Hancock has demanded Sadiq Khan put on more Tubes saying there is "no good reason" for crammed carriages.
The Mayor of London had earlier refused to increase train services despite workers now being forced to travel on packed Tubes because of the coronavirus.
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Now the Health Secretary has bashed Mr Khan, and put pressure on his insistence they were forced to run a reduced service.
Speaking in this evenings press conference, he said: "There is no good reason in the information I’ve seen that the current levels of Tube provision should be as low as they are.
"We should have more Tube trains running.”
It came on the same day Mr Khan was asked by Charlotte Hawkins on GMB if he would "reconsider" the decision to cut services over the outbreak.
Mr Khan doubled down on reducing the number of Tubes, revealing 20 per cent of TFL were now sick and insisting people should not be leaving home anyway.
He said: “The reason why public transport is still running is to enable key workers to get to work and back home.
“Those people who can't work from home - nurses, clinicians,police officers, fire fighters.
“The other point I would make, we have more than 20 per cent in TFL sick or self isolating, and these include critical staff who we need to ensure it runs safely.
“My message is don't use public transport unless you really really need to go to work if you really have to - do not use rush hour.”
He explained they couldn’t add more trains anyway because of the shortages.
Mr Khan said: “We simply can't run Tubes that are unsafe.
“That 20 per cent of sickness/self isolating include critical staff who we need to ensure transport runs well.
“Some people on the Tube today and yesterday aren't essential, and that's why I have been concerned about the mixed messages and lack of clarity.”
TFL said the crisis is actually even worse than Mr Khan said, with around 30 per cent of Tube staff not working due to sickness/self-isolation.
Vernon Everitt, TfL’s Managing Director of Customers, Communication and Technology, said: “Everyone must follow the Government and Mayor’s orders to stay at home and only travel if absolutely necessary. Only critical workers should be using public transport and no one else. Ignoring these orders will put lives at risk.
“We will continue to run as much of a Tube service as we possibly can so that those critical NHS staff and other workers can get to work, but as our staff themselves fall ill or have to self-isolate we are simply not able to run a full service.
"The majority of people are playing their part and avoiding travel, but more people need to stop travelling immediately to save lives.”
GLA Conservative Leader Susan Hall AM said Mr Khan should ensure checks on who is travelling, a record of non-essential employers forcing workers to commute, and bring in crowd control measures.
In a letter, she said: “London’s NHS workers need to use the Tube, but too many Londoners are flouting the rules and turning it into a petri dish for coronavirus.
“Sadiq Khan should use the police to bolster the dwindling number of Tube staff to stop non-critical workers making unnecessary journeys, implement crowd-control measures, and check which employers are forcing staff to commute."
He was also bashed by the Tory candidate for mayor Shaun Bailey.
The former youth worker told The Sun: "I called for the Congestion charge and ULEZ to be suspended so that key workers, including NHS staff, wouldn't be penalised for driving into work in London to avoid public transport.
"But if the trains are packed, I urge the Mayor to restore more services to allow key workers to make essential journeys safely.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the London Major are set to speak later on.
Today Michael Gove suggested the Government could act to get more trains running.
He said: "I know that the Transport Secretary, the Prime Minister and the Mayor have been talking in order to ensure we can have the drivers in place to make sure we can have a service that limits the need for people to be crammed one against the other on the Tube.
"The conversation is going on at the moment to have the best possible Tube service."
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This morning an NHS nurse was just one to share a photo of a packed Tube, saying: "This is my Tube this morning. I live in zone 4 and work in a zone 1 hospital.
"I love my job, but now I'm risking my health just on the journey in?!
"@SadiqKhan put the Tube service back to normal so we can all spread out, or @BorisJohnson start policing who's getting on. Help me!"
It comes after the drastic measures announced last night which will change every aspect of Brits' lives, including:
- All gatherings of more than two people in public were forbidden – meaning a ban on all social events, including weddings and baptisms
- Tens of thousands of non-essential shops were ordered to close
- Communal play and exercise areas inside parks will also be shut down, but not parks themselves
- Places of worship such as churches and mosques must also shut, except to host for funerals
- Travel on roads, trains and buses was also banned, unless it’s essential to get to work.
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