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Latest: Monday 16 March 2020
- STOP STOCKPILING!, plea from supermarkets.
- London's theatres are now closing their curtains, starting with the Old Vic.
- All large events likely to be cancelled or postponed, while many smaller events are also off.
- Newborn baby and mother both test positive for coronavirus, at North Middlesex Hospital, Enfield.
- Dalston's Burley Fisher Books is doing drop-offs to those in isolation:
Self isolating in hackney? Tell us the last book you read and enjoyed. We'll send you a payment link and drop you a book through your letterbox this afternoon. 📚🚴♂️💊
— Burley Fisher Books (@BurleyFisher) March 13, 2020
Event cancellations due to coronavirus
14 March
The government has announced that all large events are likely to be cancelled or postponed, effective from next weekend. We're also seeing many smaller event cancellations.
13 March:
- London Marathon postponed until October.
- The English Premier League and Football League have been suspended until at least 3 April.
- London Mayoral elections postponed until 2021.
- London's St Patrick's Day parade has been cancelled.
- As has The Other Art Fair.
12 March: County to Country festival has been postponed.
6 March: Cancelling the London Marathon could create its own problems, say organisers. Many may still choose to run the route (or their own variation), without any of the course safety measures or medical support in place.
4 March: London Book Fair — one of the biggest events in the publishing world — is cancelled, along with associated events.
Transport
14 March: The USA's European travel ban is extended to the UK and Ireland to the USA. US citizens and legal residents will still be able to fly home.
13 March: Tube driver tests positive for the virus.
12 March: Fake news was spread about a 279 bus being tested positive for the virus.
11 March: Heathrow passenger numbers were down 4.8% in February compared with last year, largely attributed to coronavirus fears.
10 March: TfL has announced it has enhanced its cleaning process to include hospital-grade cleaning product.
9 March: TfL worker tests positive for coronavirus.
6 March: Londoners adopt inventive/bizarre face masks and helmets on the tube.
6 March: RMT union calls on Transport for London to 'deep clean' the tube every three days.
Health
13 March: Food banks report shortages, as households continue to stockpile.
13 March: Zoological Society of London warns about the prospect of future viruses that could be much worse than Corvid-19
12 March: Brexit talks due in London next week might be postponed.
8 March: An east London lab is paying volunteers up to £3,500 to get infected, in efforts to develop a vaccine.
7 March: London Ambulance Service considers a ban on facial hair, which can get in the way of respirators.
Business
11 March: Interest rates cut to 0.25% to make borrowing easier.
9 March: The FTSE faces its worst day since the 2008 financial crisis, as coronavirus fears scare the market.
9 March: Payment giant Visa is the latest to close down a floor of office space, after an employee is taken ill.
8 March: Tourist numbers are down, and business is taking a hit.
7 March: London's restaurant and bar takings are down 7% in the last week.
7 March: Facebook closes its offices after a worker contracts coronavirus.
And finally...
10 March: An antique shop in Wanstead claims to be out of Victorian toilet paper.
