London plunged into Tier 3 lockdown despite just nine deaths on Sunday in a city of 11million people

LONDON was plunged into Tier 3 lockdown despite just nine deaths on Sunday in a city of 11million people

The city’s death daily toll was a tiny fraction of the 231 recorded on April 8, official figures show.

Hospitals in the capital admitted 277 Covid patients on Friday — a third of the 883 peak on March 30.

The total in hospital is 2,330, down from an April 9 high of 5,201.

Experts warn that putting areas into higher tiers risks crippling the economy and harming mental health.

Prof Carl Heneghan, from the University of Oxford, said London should have remained in Tier 2.

It has a seven-day infection rate of 270 per 100,000 compared with 765 per 100,000 in Liverpool in October.

He said: “The cases in London are largely among school children, who are gathering in classrooms, not adults in beer gardens.”

Prof Tim Spector, from King’s College London, said putting London in Tier 3 was a “knee-jerk, last- minute, panicked reaction”.

He added: “We needed a full cost-benefit analysis that took account of other factors, such as mental health, the economy and employment.

“These are not easy decisions but we need more debate around the consequences.”

Meanwhile, weekly Covid deaths in England and Wales have fallen for the first time in three months.

There were 2,835 in the week to December 4, down 205 on the week before.

The biggest decrease in Covid deaths was in those aged 80 to 84, with 60 fewer deaths compared with the previous week.

Three-quarters of deaths involving Covid-19 were in people aged 75 and over, the Office for National Statistics said.

Deaths from all causes in hospitals, care homes and private homes remained above the five-year average for this period.

There were 506 deaths yesterday putting the toll at 64,908 and 18,450 cases taking the tally to 1,888,116.