Workforce stays at home as London’s roads are quietest since summer
Britain’s workforce stays at home: London’s roads fall to their quietest since SUMMER, train stations are almost empty and drinkers abandon city centres after Whitty warned ‘pick events you attend carefully’
TomTom reports 8am-9am London congestion level of 49% today as workers shun going into the office Lowest figure for that period since the end of the summer holidays on September 3, excluding half-term Today also saw lowest term-time congestion in London on a Thursday morning rush hour since July 22Photographs show major stations looking empty and normally-bustling areas appearing to be very quietChris Whitty has called for limits on socialising despite PM insisting festive plans should not be cancelled
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Roads in London were the quietest they have been during the morning rush-hour on any term-time weekday since the summer today as city centres were left deserted by mounting numbers of Britons working from home.
The congestion level reported by TomTom in the capital between 8am and 9am today was 49 per cent – the lowest figure for that period since the end of the summer holidays on September 3, excluding October half-term.
Today also brought the lowest term-time congestion level in the capital on a Thursday morning since July 22, which was three days after ‘Freedom Day’ when the UK’s third national Covid-19 lockdown officially ended.
The percentage represents the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flowing conditions. A 49 per cent level therefore means a 30-minute trip will take 15 minutes more than with no traffic.
Photographs showed major stations including Waterloo and London Bridge looking empty during rush hour today, while normally-bustling areas such as Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square were also very quiet.
It followed further doomsday warnings from Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty who claimed today that it was ‘entirely possible’ that number of daily hospital Covid-19 admissions could beat the peak of 4,583 set in January.
He told MPs: ‘I don’t want this to be seen as I’m saying this will happen. I’m just saying there’s a range of possibilities, but certainly the peak of just over 4,500 – 4,583 to be exact – people admitted at the absolute peak…
‘It is possible because this is going to be very concentrated that even if it is milder, because it’s concentrated over a short period of time, you could end up with a higher number than that going into hospital on a single day. That is entirely possible. It may be less than that. But I’m just saying that it’s certainly possible.’
Professor Whitty told MPs there were two caveats to this – one being that people could be staying in hospital for a shorter period because of their protection from prior vaccination, and fewer people may go into intensive care.
He also called for limits on socialising last night despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting festive plans should not be cancelled over Omicron. Professor Whitty issued a clear message on Christmas socialising during a press conference, suggesting people should ‘prioritise’ and not meet friends if they hoped to see their families.
He cautioned against reports from South African doctors that Omicron was a milder strain, said a ‘substantial’ rise in hospitalisations was ‘nailed on’ and warned the NHS could face serious staff shortages as medics become ill.
Mr Johnson has urged care when seeing loved ones and friends – including taking a test before meeting anyone vulnerable – but added: ‘We are not cancelling events or closing hospitality. We are not cancelling people’s parties or their ability to mix. What we are saying is think carefully before you go about what kind of event it is.’
It comes after a raft of Omicron warnings in TV broadcasts and press conferences this week – and as Mr Johnson continues to face pressure from MPs within his own party following a major rebellion by 100 of them on Tuesday who voted against the mandatory use of Covid health certificates brought in as part of the new ‘Plan B’ measures.
Meanwhile the Queen has cancelled her traditional pre-Christmas family lunch next week as a precaution, with a source suggesting it could put too many people’s arrangements for the festive season at risk if it went ahead.
And Brentford manager Thomas Frank has called for the next round of Premier League fixtures to be postponed to allow clubs to deal with Covid outbreaks. Frank saw his side’s clash with Manchester United go under on Tuesday, with Burnley’s match with Watford last night becoming the third Premier League fixture in a week to be called off.
Westminster Bridge looks very quiet during the morning rush hour in London today as Britons stay at home
Few commuters use London Waterloo station this morning as rail passenger numbers drop following the Omicron emergence
A quiet Christmas market at Covent Garden in London this morning amid the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases
London Bridge looks very quiet at 7.35am this morning as Britons continue to work from home after new guidance came in
London Bridge looks far less busy than normal today just before 7am as a handful of people walk through the concourse
An almost-empty escalator leading to the Underground platforms at London Waterloo train station this morning
A quiet Farringdon station during rush hour in Central London this morning as people get off an Underground train
London Bridge looks far less busy than normal today just before 7am as workers decide against going into the office
Commuters wait for a Circle line Underground train at Liverpool Street station in the City of London this morning
An empty bar in London’s Covent Garden called Mr Fogg’s Tavern stores chairs inside while it is closed this morning
The Rail Delivery Group said train journeys across all of Britain have now fallen to July levels, with industry revenue down 23 per cent week-on-week this Monday, meaning it is now at just 43 per cent of pre-pandemic levels
Today’s TomTom congestion level was by far the lowest 8am to 9am data for this week. The figure was 59 per cent yesterday, 68 per cent on Tuesday and 60 per cent on Monday. On Thursday of last week, it was at 68 per cent.
In half-term the Thursday figure fell to 31 per cent, while in the summer break it was between 25 and 39 per cent. The last time it was lower than 49 per cent outside of term-time on a Thursday morning was July 22 at 36 per cent.
As for other UK cities, the congestion level from 8am to 9am today was 51 per cent in Birmingham, 50 per cent in Manchester and Liverpool, 47 per cent in Sheffield, 46 per cent in Leeds and 38 per cent in Newcastle.
All of these figures were well below the same time period on Thursday last week – with the biggest drop being in Manchester which was down 27 percentage points, followed by Newcastle falling 12 percentage points.
It comes as Transport for London revealed this week that the number of morning rush-hour commuters using the Underground has plunged by nearly a third in just a week as Britons shun going into the office.
Only 960,000 passengers entered or exited the Tube up to 10am yesterday morning, which was down 29 per cent on the same period on Wednesday last week and less than half (44 per cent) of normal pre-pandemic levels.
A sparsely-populated platform at Westminster station today as people wait for Circle or District line Underground trains
A woman walks past a closed food outlet at Covent Garden in London this morning amid the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases
A man wearing a Christmas jumper walks past a large ‘Merry Christmas’ sign in London’s Leicester Square this morning
A small number of people on London Overground train at Canada Water station this morning on their way to work
Empty tables and chairs at Fumo Restaurant near Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid a surge in cancellations
A very quiet Jubilee line platform at Canada Water station in London during rush hour this morning
A handful of people cross London Bridge before dawn at about 7.30am this morning as Britons shun going into the office
An empty Jubilee line platform at London Waterloo station during rush hour this morning
Transport for London reported that bus usage across the capital also fell yesterday morning to 1.14million Oyster or contactless card taps, which was down 9 per cent on last week but still at 71 per cent of pre-Covid numbers.
The difference between Tubes and buses is partially because the latter are more regularly used by children going to school as normal and lower-paid Londoners in key worker roles that require them to travel in to their workplace.
On Tuesday this week, there were 1million people using the Tube during the morning rush hour, which was down 26 per cent on Tuesday last week and at 45 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
However, across the entire day on Tuesday this week, there were nearly 2.1million journeys on the Tube, which was at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and only an 18 per cent week-on-week decrease in ridership.
On Tuesday, September 14 this year, TfL saw about 2.13million Tube journeys made, which is the closest recent level across a whole day to the numbers of passengers being seen now.
The biggest reductions on Tuesday were observed at City of London stations where there were nearly 331,600 entries and exits yesterday compared to around 504,800 on the same day last week.
People sit on a London Underground train this morning after new Covid-19 infections hit record levels yesterday
People wear face masks as they walk across Westminster Bridge in London this morning with the roads very quiet
A man wears a face mask as he walks past an advert in support of the vaccination campaign at Westminster station today
An empty bar in London’s Covent Garden called Mr Fogg’s Tavern stores chairs inside while it is closed this morning
A woman wears a face mask as she walks past Covid posters at Westminster station on the London Underground today
Two people sit apart and eat inside a McDonald’s next to Charring Cross on the Strand in Central London this morning
People walk past a sign in Covent Garden at the London Transport Museum reading ‘Next stop, Christmas’ this morning
A quiet Christmas market in Covent Garden in London today as a rapid rise in Covid cases has led to a surge in cancellations
In terms of Underground stations linked specifically to shopping locations, there were around 541,800 entries and exits on Tuesday – compared to around 621,600 entry and exits last week.
On Monday, TfL, which runs the capital’s buses and Tubes, recorded an 18 per cent reduction in Tube journeys up to 10am, while bus usage dropped 6 per cent.
However, across all of Monday, the week-on-week fall was only 12 per cent on Tubes and 2 per cent on buses, mostly because leisure travel has not fallen as much as commuting.
It also emerged yesterday that train journeys across all of Britain have fallen to July levels, with industry revenue down 23 per cent week-on-week this Monday, meaning it is now at just 43 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
This was down from 55 per cent of pre-pandemic levels the previous Monday – and it means this Monday’s figure is the lowest level on a Monday since the end of July, when the country first reopened after the third lockdown.
The Rail Delivery Group also said daily rail journeys in the week to December 9 were at an average of 55 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
Revellers enjoy a night out in Leeds last night as they continue to attend nightclubs despite the vaccine passport requirement
Revellers are not dettered from having a good night out in Newcastle last night even though Covid infections are on the rise
A young woman shows her Covid passport to a bouncer outside a nightclub in Nottingham city centre last night
People sit outside a bar in London’s Soho last night as vaccine passports become a requirement at large indoor venues
People display their Covid passes as they arrive at Heaven nightclub in London last night ahead of a House Gospel Choir gig
This was down from 63 per cent the previous week (to December 2) and 72 per cent the week before that (to November 25).
Omicron was first reported in the UK on November 21 – and, since then, weekly train ticket sales have dropped from 68 per cent of pre-pandemic levels to just 59 per cent for the week ending December 11.
During a press conference last Wednesday, Mr Johnson urged people in England to work from home where possible from yesterday, which brought the country in line with the rest of the UK.
It comes as Professor Whitty called for limits on socialising last night despite Mr Johnson insisting festive plans should not be cancelled over Omicron.
In a sign of the divisions between scientists and No 10, the chief medical officer gave a downbeat assessment of the Covid variant, warning of a huge surge in cases.
He cautioned against reports that Omicron was a milder strain, said a ‘substantial’ rise in hospitalisations was ‘nailed on’ and warned the NHS could face serious staff shortages as doctors and nurses fell ill.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing at Downing Street in London yesterday
Professor Whitty issued a clear message on Christmas socialising, suggesting people should ‘prioritise’ and not meet friends if they hoped to see their families. He added: ‘Don’t mix with people you don’t have to.’
But, speaking at a tense press conference in Downing Street, the Prime Minister struck a markedly more upbeat tone, hailing record booster jab figures as evidence of a ‘great national fightback’ against Omicron.
Third dose rates were double those in the EU, he said, adding: ‘Let’s keep going. Let’s carry on giving Omicron both barrels. Let’s slow its spread and give the vaccines more time.’
He urged care when seeing loved ones and friends – including taking a test before meeting anyone vulnerable – but insisted there was no need to limit Christmas activities.
‘We are not cancelling events or closing hospitality,’ he said. ‘We are not cancelling people’s parties or their ability to mix. What we are saying is think carefully before you go about what kind of event it is.
‘Are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable? Get a test, make sure there is ventilation, wear a mask on transport.’
Downing Street insisted Mr Johnson would not hesitate to impose further restrictions if necessary, despite being rocked on Tuesday night by a revolt of 100 Tory MPs over the introduction of Plan B measures such as Covid passports.
No 10 said MPs, who depart for their Christmas break tonight, would be recalled to legislate for new curbs if needed. Downing Street hopes the country can get through Christmas without the need for further sweeping restrictions.
But Dr Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, told MPs that Omicron was ‘probably the most significant threat’ since the start of the pandemic – and warned that case numbers were likely to hit ‘staggering’ levels.
Professor Graham Medley, one of the Government’s leading modelling experts, said there was a ‘very real possibility’ the NHS would be overwhelmed next month.
Dr Nikki Kanani, director of primary care for the NHS, urged football fans not to attend stadiums this weekend unless it’s to ‘get a jab’ at a pop-up site.
