OREANDA-NEWS. In London, due to a sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19, a critical situation has developed, Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

“I have declared a major incident in London because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point. One in 30 Londoners now has COVID-19. If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS [National Health Service. – Ed.] could be overwhelmed and more people will die,” Khan wrote on his Twitter page.

The announcement of a “major incident” (analogous to an emergency) means an event that entails serious consequences, including a risk to human life, and requiring special measures taken by emergency services.

According to the city authorities, currently there are more than 7 thousand patients diagnosed with coronavirus infection in London clinics; it is almost 2 thousand more than in April 2020. Almost 1 thousand people are connected to artificial lung ventilation.