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Tubes were surprisingly empty yesterday morning, despite it being the first day back to work, post-Christmas.
According to TfL, a paltry 710,000 Oyster taps were recorded across the tube before 10am on Tuesday January 4. That number is significantly lower than the 4 million trips made across the network when workers returned to the city in January 2020.
But commuting to the capital has become seriously difficult this month, with Southern Rail cutting all trains to and from London Victoria until January 10, due to pandemic staff shortages. Problems could well be exacerbated when the Northern Line’s Bank branch closes between Kennington and Moorgate from January 15 for a whopping 17 weeks.
The capital was eerie yesterday, as London was stripped of its usual bustle. Many of the local lunch spots remained closed, instead of having queues stretching out the door. Workers have been urged to work from home where possible, since Boris once again tightened restrictions in December.
Sue Durrant, a beauty therapist working near Leadenhall Market, told the Guardian: ‘It’s the first day back and I’ve got no one else booked in. It’s been really quiet and everyone seems to be working from home. It’s really damaging for the City.’
Is the wave of Omicron just another temporary blow to the buzz of the capital? It’s likely Londoners will bounce back once more in the coming months, and hopefully the beep of the Oyster card will soon be back to its usual, regular heartbeat.
London’s rubbish is piling up cos binmen are isolating.
In better news, this guy took out a billboard to find a wife. Enterprising!