From Friday night, southerners are set to be cooped up in their homes because of high Covid rates in the north. I’m talking, of course, about the decision to impose tier two restrictions on London. The capital’s nine million people will be banned from socialising indoors with people they don’t live with and commuters urged to stay off public transport. It’s clear that the rising rate of infection in London meant that something needed to be one. But treating the capital as one is a big mistake.
Nine out of the ten boroughs with the highest infection rates in the capital are north of the river. And the eight boroughs with the lowest number of cases per 100,000 people are all in south London.
While Bexley, Bromley, Sutton and Croydon all have fewer than 70 cases per 100,000 people, Hackney and the city of London, Ealing, Redbridge and Harrow – which are all in north London – have rates reaching nearly double these levels.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in