"As the Mayor of London announces a major incident, it’s clear that this second wave of the pandemic is worse than the first. In Royal Greenwich, we’re seeing cases of over 1,000 per 100,000 – which is above the London average, and the highest we’ve recorded to date.  

Nearly one in three people tested in the borough in the last week have COVID-19, and more people are being admitted to hospital. Our health and social care staff are doing incredible work, and we are refocusing all our efforts on protecting our communities. But if things continue as they are, our local services will not be able to cope. It could mean patients on trolleys in corridors not receiving the treatment they need. It could mean your loved ones dying.  

We urgently need to get the infection rate down. That means staying at home unless absolutely necessary. Remember, one in three people with coronavirus don’t show symptoms, but for many people the virus is deadly. If you see your family and friends you could put their, and your own, life at risk.  

The first lockdown worked. Towards the end of the summer infection rates were down and deaths were down. This lockdown will work too,  if we respect it. And unlike the first lockdown, we now have a vaccine. In time, we will all be protected, but until then we must stay at home."