Staff working at London's Nightingale Hospital gathered to commemorate Transport for London staff who have died from Covid-19.

A minutes silence was held in the capital at 11:00 for the 21 TfL workers who have died of Covid-19 while on duty.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Bus passengers in London will not have to pay to travel under new measures to protect drivers.

Image source, Reuters

Transport for London (TfL) announced that customers "will not be required to touch in" with their payment card or device from Monday.

This is to avoid passengers approaching the driver's cab, where all buses have a card reader.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced on Monday that 21 transport workers, including 15 bus workers, have died in the capital after testing positive for Covid-19.

A south London bus driver identified only as Lorraine , said last week in an online video that she is "proud to do her job" but "frightened to die" as she begged the government to do more to help protect transport staff.

Bus travel in the capital normally costs £1.50 for unlimited journeys within an hour, up to a maximum of £4.50 per day.

The temporary decision to tell passengers they no longer need to pay coincides with a trial involving passengers using the middle door to board on nine routes being extended to all buses in the capital.

Passengers using London buses normally board using the front door and leave by the middle door.

TfL said the pilot scheme showed that passengers can "keep a safe distance" when entering and leaving through the middle door because demand for bus travel is 85% lower than normal.

Other safety measures include discouraging the use of seats near drivers, covering the holes in their protective screens with clear film, and a rigorous cleaning regime.

Pete Kavanagh, regional secretary at trade union Unite, which campaigned for front-door boarding to be banned across the whole of London, said:

"This is a very welcome move and we are very relieved that TfL is listening to Unite and its members."

Londoners have been told to only use public transport for essential journeys.

The UK's in lockdown, but some people aren't following the rules - and their housemates are worried.

The Financial Conduct Authority is seeking delays for people struggling amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

Image source, Getty Images

London estate agent Foxtons has sent around 1,100 workers home, including 750 on the Government's furlough scheme, as it tries to tap investors for cash.

The business said that "the vast majority" of its furloughed employees will get 80% of their salaries, as part of the Government's scheme - the remaining 350 are still working.

Foxtons hopes to raise £22m from shareholders, by selling a nearly 20 per cent stake in the business after maxing out its revolving loans.

Chief executive Nic Budden said: "The London property market has been severely disrupted by the necessary measures the country has taken to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Prior to the lockdown, Foxtons' trading in 2020 had been in line with the board's expectations and we started the year in a strong financial position, with a cash balance of over £15m and no external borrowings and a growing sales commission pipeline."

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

Image source, AFP

A minute's silence is to be held later this morning for transport workers in London who have died after contracting coronavirus.

Trade union Unite, which has more than 20,000 members working on buses throughout the capital, said the silence would be marked at 11:00.

Unite said its members are "running out of patience" with bus operators and Transport for London (TfL)

Regional secretary for London, Pete Kavanagh, said: “Unite pays tribute to those bus workers who have died during the coronavirus pandemic and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this incredibly painful time. Their heart-breaking sacrifice, at a time of critical need, will never be forgotten.

“Far too many bus workers have lost their lives during this crisis and our members are well aware that the danger has still has not passed."

Passengers will only be allowed to board through the middle doors of vehicles during the pandemic.

BBC London

Londoners yet again came out in big numbers to Clap for Carers last night as the video above shows.

But firefighters in Brixton had to cut short their tribute to frontline NHS workers after being called to an emergency....

Essential safety work to replace unsafe cladding on high-rise buildings will continue during the Covid-19 emergency, the Housing Secretary has said.

Image source, PA Media

Robert Jenrick, along with the mayors of London, Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region, Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands, have pledged their support to ensure vital safety work can continue as long as social distancing rules are being followed.

It comes after the Government announced a new £1billion fund to pay for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding for high-rise buildings earlier this year following the Grenfell tragedy.

A total of 72 people died after Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, west London, caught fire in June 2017.

Last month the G15, made up of London's largest housing associations, identified over 2,000 buildings needing to be rectified in the capital alone.

The Government has updated guidance on how to apply social distancing in the workplace for construction workers which was reviewed by Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.

It includes having decontamination areas on site and enabling workers to hose-down overalls before safe disposal, providing additional toilet and washing facilities, reducing the number of workers gathering together and splitting up work teams to minimise the risk of infection.

Peter John OBE, chairman of London Councils, added: "We cannot allow the unprecedented challenge that we have all faced with Covid-19 as an excuse to forget the challenge of making our buildings fire-safe across London and the UK."

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

Image source, EPA

Responding to Sadiq Khan's face protection claims, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said it is "not the right moment" to encourage people to wear masks.

Mr Shapps said: "We need to take this in the round and look at all of the evidence.

"So it is not the right moment to instruct people, as I saw the London Mayor do this morning, to wear them if we are not certain yet that they are going to be advantageous.

"In fact, he wrote to me about this and said in his letter he recognises that it could be counterproductive, so I don't think we should be in that space right at this moment."

Speaking on LBC Mr Shapps added: "I'm slightly confused by the approach and I will be writing back to him simply to say we've got the subcommittee of Sage, that's the scientific advisory emergency committee, who are looking at this at the moment - so let's let them tell us which is the best scientific approach because there are pluses and minuses to wearing masks."

BBC Breakfast

Image source, EPA

Sixteen bus drivers in London are now known to have died from coronavirus, the Mayor of London has confirmed this morning.

Sadiq Khan described the news as "heartbreaking" and felt it was "personal" to the mayor.

"It's really heartbreaking and my condolences to those families.

"We've gone above and beyond advice we've been given by the experts."

Mr Khan said authorities had introduced protective glass, anti-viral cleaning and passengers sitting away from the driver to keep staff safe, as well as middle-door boarding which will be rolled out from Monday.

He added: "I'm confident working with the excellent trade unions, we've made sure our public transport is as safe as it can be for both passengers and also our staff as well, who deserve a huge credit for keeping public transport running in these difficult times."

BBC Breakfast

Image source, PA Media

Sadiq Khan has warned Londoners that wearing face masks in the capital after lockdown could well be a possibility.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast the Mayor of London said "all of us" may need to wear a non-medical facial covering once the lockdown ends.

"What I'm lobbying for is at the moment, when you can't keep your distance, wear a non-medical facial covering," Mr Khan said.

"But when it comes to exiting lockdown, we may need to have all of us wearing it as well."

Mr Khan said he had provided the government with evidence from "colleagues around the world", which he said it was "looking at".

"The good news is, to give them credit, they have not closed their mind to this and to give them credit, they are looking at what I have sent to them, because I am quite keen to have an additional layer of protection."

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

Image source, Northwick Park Hospital

Senior nurse Alicia Borja made an emotional exit from Northwick Park Hospital yesterday afternoon after beating Covid-19.

Colleagues from A&E and other departments lined the corridors to cheer Alicia on her way home.

“I just want to thank my colleagues. I’ve got so much love for them. They are such a fantastic team. I haven’t been able to see my daughters for a month so can’t wait to get home.”

Alicia, 63, spent a month battling the virus and kept in contact with family and colleagues through social media.

“It’s been really tough. I stopped watching the news because I wanted to focus on being positive and put all my effort into getting home.

“I’m a nurse but it’s still scary to go through something like this. I was in tears when I was discharged because so many colleagues lined the corridors to wish me well. They are my second family.”

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, AFP

The Mayor of London has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he thinks the government should change their advice to recommend people wear "non-medical" masks when they cannot keep social distancing advice, for instance on public transport.

Sadiq Khan is lobbying guidelines around face masks to be changed - despite UK public health experts not currently recommending the use of face-coverings.

The Mayor said the UK was "an outlier" on this advice about "non-medical facial coverings" and that this would be "an additional protection" on top of the current advice of keeping 2m distance between people and frequent washing of hands.

Posters and billboards are being used to spread messages of hope to lockdown Londoners.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

London's biggest hospital has reminded parents that its children’s emergency department is still open despite the coronavirus outbreak.

St George’s Hospital in Tooting sent out a statement on Twitter reminding parents that the children’s emergency department is still operating as normal, after seeing a drop in the number of attendances.

Dr Maya Kerr, a member of the paediatric team, said: “We have noticed in the last weeks that there’s been a drop in the number of children coming to A&E.

"We are still here and should your child be unwell, we’d really like to see them.

“Please if you want advice ring 111 or see your GP first, but if you are concerned, or it’s an emergency, please bring them to A&E.

"It is really important that parents do this even in the time of Covid-19."

The UK's first person in space has past experience of restricted movement and time away from family.

Medics are returning to the NHS to fight coronavirus, including many who worked in private hospitals.

Getting the extended family together for new arrivals is proving tricky because of social distancing.

Sadiq Khan wants the UK government to follow the likes of New York in changing protection guidelines.