WELCOME TO LONDON... ONCE THE BEATING HEART OF BRITAIN’S ECONOMY

UNDER a blanket of grey cl oud, t he near- deserted skyscrapers of London financial district Canary Wharf offered a distinctly gloomy outlook yesterday.

In a scene almost unimaginable at the start of the year, a vivid sign, pictured left, warned that the local Covid alert level was ‘ high’ and advised passers-by that it was now illegal to ‘meet people socially anywhere indoors’.

Canary Wharf is home to the headquarters of banking and finance powerhouses such as HSBC, Barclays and JP Morgan. But almost all of the 120,000 workers who once filled the office floors and flooded into local cafes and bars now work from home.

London’s nine million inhabitants entered tighter Tier 2 restrictions yesterday after midnight, which ban people from separate households mixing indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.

Crowds descended on the city centre on Friday for a final drinking session before the new rules came in. Police were on the lookout for ‘dangerous and reckless’ Covid breaches as people left pubs after the 10pm curfew.

Although Londoners will still be able to meet members of other households in groups of up to six in beer gardens, the prospect is less likely to appeal as winter approaches.