London facing lockdown as UK coronavirus cases reach 6000

New coronavirus cases rose above 6,000 yesterday, with London facing a local lockdown if social distancing measures announced this week fail to curb numbers. Nationally, confirmed cases rose by a quarter yesterday to 6,178, the third highest daily total recorded during the pandemic. In the capital there is concern that infection rates are catching up with the northeast, where people were banned from visiting each other’s houses last week.