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Londra Gazete, Thursday 29 October 2020 LondraGazete.com/English 5

Londoners will need to start booking A&E time slots
Ultraviolet lights installed to
Covid-19 and we want to reassure
patients that it is safe to come in clean escalators at Tube station
for treatment. However, the risk of
catching Covid-19 is still here and TRANSPORT for London doing everything we can to ensure
it’s vital that we take additional (TfL) has installed ultraviolet (UV) that the transport network is as cle-
steps to keep our patients and staff light to clean the handrails on escala- an as it possibly can be.
safe. tors at Heathrow T123 Tube station. "After a successful trial, we are
“General Practice is open to deal It will also install more than 200 now installing UV light devices to
with patients with normal primary sanitising devices on 110 escalators continuously clean more than 100
care needs, but it is essential that in the coming weeks. escalators on the Tube network.
anyone who requires urgent, alt- Designed to supplement TfL's "Customer injuries on escalators
hough not life-threatening treat- existing anti-viral cleaning regime, account for around half of all injuries
ment, contacts NHS 111 first to they are connected to the escalator on the Tube network and, during the
get the right care.” handrail and use its motion to power pandemic, we have found that some
a UV bulb that breaks down conta-
What’s the situation at each Lon- mination to sanitise the surface con- customers are avoiding holding the
LONDONERS have been People who need immediate emer- don hospital? tinuously, TfL said. handrails.
urged to book a time slot at A&E gency care should continue to call The hospitals currently asking Esther Sharples, Director of "We hope that the installation of
rather than turning up at hospitals 999 for an ambulance. patients to call NHS 111 for urgent Asset Operations at London Un- these new devices, along with the
unannounced as part of an NHS re- The new “111 First” system, cur- care appointments are: Royal Lon- derground, said: “We already have a provision of Dettol hand sanitiser
volution in urgent care. rently being trialled by six London don, Croydon, North Middlesex, rigorous cleaning regime across all across the network, will rebuild cus-
Health chiefs want to avoid pa- A&Es, will be rolled out to all 27 Chelsea and Westminster, Queen of our stations but are committed to tomer confidence.”
tients with non-emergency condi- emergency departments in the ca- Elizabeth Woolwich, Barnet.
tions having to wait for hours in pital by December 1. The hospitals switching by Oc-
waiting rooms, especially to mi- Most hospitals have already split tober 31 are: Newham, Whipps
nimise the risk of contracting Co- their A&Es in two to ensure suspe- Cross, Homerton, St Thomas’,
vid-19. cted covid-positive patients do not Princess Royal, Kings College, Ro-
But they said the four-hour A&E come into contact with other pa- yal Free, Kingston, St Helier, St
target would still apply and insis- tients. However, space in waiting George’s, Northwick Park, Ealing,
ted that patients who failed to rooms is limited due to the need to West Middlesex.
book ahead would not be disad- maintain social distancing. The hospitals switching by De-
vantaged. Dr Vin Diwakar, medical direc- cember 1 are: Queen’s, King Geo-
Patients will be urged to call the tor for the NHS in London, said: rge, Lewisham, UCLH, Whitting-
NHS 111 non-emergency helpline “The NHS has put in place extra ton, Hillingdon, Charing Cross, St
to arrange an A&E appointment. measures to prevent the spread of Mary’s.

TfL issues almost 500 fines to passengers

not wearing masks

TRANSPORT for London enforcement action against a "sel- said. The borough-level informa-
(TfL) has issued almost 500 fines fish minority". tion available only went up to 22
to people not wearing face coverin- p to 22 September, Fixed Pe- September.
gs on public transport, Freedom of nalty Notices (FPNs) had been Enforcement officers had also
Information requests show. issued across nine boroughs: Bar- stopped about 113,000 people
Anyone travelling on London's king, Croydon, Hackney, Havering, from getting on public transport New ‘Covid roadblocks’ are slowing
transport network since 15 June Hounslow, Lambeth, Newham, services until they put on a face
has had to wear a face covering or Southwark and Westminster. covering. down 999 response times
face a £100 fine. Lambeth, Westminster and As of 21 October, officers had
Between July and September TfL Croydon accounted for three-quar- stopped 8,200 people from boar- MORE temporary “covid ro- month: “Although ambulance jour-
ding and removed 1,800 from ser-
handed out 127 fines in Lambeth, ters of all fines handed out betwe- vices. adblocks” are being installed in resi- ney times became a little bit longer
there have been no adverse events.
dential streets across London despi-
which covers Waterloo, the most in en 9 July and 22 September, the TfL's director of security, Siwan te claims they are causing problems We will keep a check on that to en-
any borough. BBC found. Hayward, said: "We would rather for emergency vehicles. sure that nothing compromises
It said most passengers were As of 21 October, almost 500 people were sensible and follow the New low-traffic neighbourhoods safety. What they’re trying to do is
obeying the law but it would take FPNs had been handed out, TfL law, but we will take enforcement have been announced near Hyde beneficial for the health of the po-
action when we need to. Park and in Newham as polling su- pulation — particularly low emis-
"To help protect everyone's he- ggested the controversial schemes sions, asthma, that sort of thing.”
alth and control the spread of the were supported by a public majority. But Elliot Colburn, the Tory MP for
virus, it is essential that people However, London Ambulance Carshalton and Wallington, told the
wear face coverings. chiefs have reported slight increases Commons last week he was receiving
"The vast majority of customers in response times, although they say photos and videos from constituents
are protecting others by wearing a there has been no impact on patient showing the “chaos that road closure
face covering properly unless they safety. More than 70 low traffic ne- schemes are causing”.
are exempt. ighbourhoods have been introduced He said: “That has included videos
"But sadly, there is a selfish mi- in residential areas of the capital sin- of emergency service vehicles having
nority who are showing a comple- ce the first wave of Covid-19 to en- to turn around while on call and find
te disregard for everyone around courage residents to walk and cycle alternative routes to incidents.”
them and who think it is ok to ig- and discourage “rat running”. The LAS said: “Changes to road
nore the law." LAS chairman Heather Lawrence layouts clearly have the potential to
TfL began enforcing the new said the reduction in traffic will im- impede our response to the most
rules from 9 July after a period of prove public health in the long term. critically ill people and could delay
"engagement and explanation". She told an LAS board meeting last life-saving treatments.”