North Greenwich tube station had its busiest day on Saturday since the start of the first coronavirus lockdown as people flocked to the Greenwich Peninsula for a sunny start to the bank holiday weekend.
At least 43,684 people journeys started or ended at North Greenwich on Saturday, more than on any day, including weekdays, since the middle of March 2020, according to Transport for London data.
Big queues could be seen at the Emirates Air Line cable car while restaurants and shops inside the O2 were said to be doing a brisk trade. While North Greenwich station usually saw about 60,000 journeys each day before the pandemic – more on O2 event nights – the large numbers of customers to businesses on the peninsula at the weekend will come as a relief after months of restrictions.
Saturday was also the opening day of Tikky Town inside the O2 – billed as “the UK’s first TikTok inspired funhouse where you can capture incredible videos of you and your friends”.
The figures only include those tapping in with Oyster or contactless payment, and do not include those using paper tickets, such as those issued by National Rail. On March 13, 2020, 52,190 journeys were made through North Greenwich – numbers dropped off rapidly after that, falling to a low of 1,064 on March 28 that year.
All coronavirus restrictions are due to be lifted on June 21, although concerns about the variant that originated in India mean this date remains in some doubt.
On May 28, there were 34.1 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in Greenwich, up from the low of 11.8 on April 9. In Lewisham the rate was 23.2, in Bexley it was 17.7.
While yesterday it was announced that three quarters of adults across the UK have had at least one coronavirus jab – and nearly half have had both jabs – the pace of vaccination has been slower in London.
In Greenwich, 54.2 per cent of the adult population have had at least one jab, according to Public Health England data, and 33.3 per cent have had both.
Lewisham passed the halfway mark for single jabs at the weekend, with 50.4 per cent of adults having had one jab, and 27.9 per cent having had both. In Bexley, which has an older population, the figures are 68.9 per cent and 44.9 per cent.
Anecdotal reports of people in parts of Greenwich borough getting jabs more quickly than those in neighbouring areas appear to be borne out by age breakdowns, which have recently been released by Public Health England.
While just 25.1 per cent of 45 to 49-year-olds have had both jabs in Lewisham, and 33.8 per cent in Bexley, the figure rises to 39.1 per cent in Greenwich.
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