A ban on using the Tube is unlikely to be implemented to restrict coronavirus, the Mayor of London said today.
Sadiq Khan, who called together health and transport chiefs to City Hall last night, said London was not considering widespread clampdowns on large public events seen in other world cities.
The Mayor, who admitted he was avoiding shaking hands, said he was monitoring precautions in other cities such as New York and Paris, but added: “I don’t foresee a situation where we’re advising people not to use the Tube or public transport.
"I don’t foresee a situation where we do what other cities are doing and say ‘don’t go to concerts’.
“The advice is there is no reason at all to worry about using the Tube and the buses. The key thing is to wash your hands afterwards.”
Asked by Piers Morgan on ITV’s Good Morning Britain whether he was still shaking hands, Mr Khan said: “At the moment I’m not, for the simple reason I’m out and about throughout the day and often I’ve not got access to a sink to wash my hands as much as you are supposed to.
“The advice is, it’s a personal choice, there is nothing risky about shaking hands, the key thing is to on a regular basis during the day wash your hands.”
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Mr Khan today launched his re-election campaign by vowing to lobby the Government for rent controls if he is re-elected on May 7.
He said rents had risen by 27 per cent in a decade and that his own teenage daughters would be unable to afford to live in his Tooting neighbourhood once they graduated from university.
He added that a third of thirtysomething Londoners were still living with their parents due to the high cost of renting in the capital.
