London will face Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions from Saturday.

It means millions in the capital will be banned from meeting people from other households indoors, whether that's in their home or in a pub.

Londoners have also been advised to avoid public transport and reduce the number of journeys they make where possible.

Health minister Helen Whately told London MPs of the decision during a call this morning.

On Tuesday, London's mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News that further restrictions were "inevitable" as hospital admissions and infection rates were "going in the wrong direction".

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He also wrote to the prime minister, telling him: "None of us want more restrictions in London but given the increase in infection rates and the lack of testing we have little choice."

The London-wide average infection rate was 78 new cases per 100,000 people in the week to 9 October.

However, it varies widely across boroughs. Ealing had the highest rate at 119 new cases, while Bexley had 51.6.

That is still much lower than the infection rate in many parts of northern England, such as the Liverpool area, which is under the most severe Tier Three restrictions.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has set out a number of demands, including an increase in testing capacity to protect people living in the capital and bring Covid-19 under control.

Alongside a letter to Boris Johnson, Mr Khan wrote: “Urgent action is needed to protect Londoners and bring the virus under control in our city…

“Government must provide proper financial help to all businesses and vulnerable Londoners affected by restrictions, as well as local authorities who support them.

“It is essential that no one should be faced with added financial hardship through redundancy or a loss of earnings, and is able to access benefits or crisis support straight away should they need to.

“We also need an immediate increase in testing capacity so that London’s testing rates can increase to the national average.”