LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has reactivated emergency hospitals built at the start of the pandemic and closed primary schools in London on Friday to stop the rapid spread of a much more contagious variant of the coronavirus.
With more than 50,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 in the past four days, the health department said it was preparing for an expected flow of patients and needed more beds.
The announcement comes just days after the Royal London Hospital told staff in an email that it was now in “disaster medicine mode” and unable to provide high-quality critical care.
As the capital is one of the areas worst affected by the new variant, which is up to 70% more contagious, the government has also decided to close all primary schools in London, reversing a decision made two days ago.
“Education and well-being of children remains a national priority,” said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. “Moving further parts of London to distance education is really a last resort and a temporary solution.”
Britain is fighting another wave of a virus that has already killed more than 74,000 people and crushed the economy. One of the worst affected countries in the world, it recorded 53,285 cases in the last 24 hours and 613 new deaths on Friday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been criticized for frequent turnarounds during the pandemic, including delaying the lockdown during the first wave in March and abandoning a system to award school grades without exams.
The temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals in locations such as convention centers were a success, built by the military in a few days. They were hardly used but have remained on standby.
A Sky News report said the intensive care units of three London hospitals were full on New Year’s Eve, transferring patients to other hospitals for critical care.
“In anticipation of increasing pressure from the spread of the new strain of the infection, the NHS London Region was asked to ensure that the Nightingale was reactivated and ready to receive patients if needed,” said a spokeswoman for the National Health Service (NHS).
However, the Royal College of Nursing warned that the country does not have enough nurses to staff the new sites, especially as many sick with the virus or forced to isolate.
In terms of education, the government said it had to close all primary schools in the capital after a review of transmission speeds. On Wednesday, Williamson had drawn up a plan to delay reopening high schools, but open most primaries, including in much of the capital, on time next week after the Christmas holidays.
The opposition Labor party said the turnaround would cause last-minute chaos for parents.
Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by David Goodman