UK reactivates emergency COVID-19 hospitals, closes primary schools in London

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain reactivated emergency hospitals built at the start of the pandemic and closed primary schools in London on Friday to stem the rapid spread of a much more infectious variant of the coronavirus.

With more than 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily in the past four days, the health service said it is preparing for an early patient rush and needs more beds.

The announcement came just days after the Royal London Hospital told the team via email that it was now in “disaster medicine mode” and unable to provide high-quality intensive care.

With the capital one of the areas most affected by the new variant, which is up to 70% more infectious, the government has also decided to close all primary schools in London, reversing a decision made just two days ago.

“Education and child welfare remain a national priority,” said Secretary of Education Gavin Williamson. “Moving other parts of London to distance learning is really a last resort and a temporary solution.”

Britain is battling a new wave of a virus that has already killed more than 74,000 people and crushed the economy. One of the hardest hit countries in the world, it registered 53,285 cases in the last 24 hours of Friday, and 613 new deaths.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was criticized for frequent reversals during the pandemic, including delaying the blockade during the first wave in March and abandoning a system of grading without exams.

Temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals in places like convention centers were a success, built by the military in a matter of days. They were hardly used, but remained in standby mode.

A Sky News report said the intensive care units at three London hospitals were full on New Year’s Eve, forcing patients to be transferred to other hospitals for intensive care.

“Anticipating growing pressures with the spread of the new variant of the infection, the NHS London Region has been asked to ensure that Nightingale is reactivated and ready to admit patients if necessary,” said a spokeswoman for the National Health Service (NHS) ).

The Royal College of Nursing has warned, however, that the country does not have enough nurses to serve the new locations, especially with many patients with the virus or forced to isolate themselves.

Regarding schooling, the government said it had to close all primary schools in the capital after a review of transmission rates. On Wednesday, Williamson outlined a plan to delay the reopening of secondary schools, but will open most primary schools, including much of the capital, in the next week after the Christmas holiday.

The opposition Labor Party said the last-minute reversal would cause chaos for parents.