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Rough sleepers in London to be given hotel rooms during coronavirus outbreak

Written by
Laura Richards
homeless man in london
Photograph: alessandro pinto / Shutterstock.com
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London’s rough sleepers have today been offered accommodation in hotel rooms as part of continuing measures to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the capital. 

Mayor Sadiq Khan has worked with the InterContinental Hotel Group to provide 300 rooms to those homeless and sleeping on the streets of London. The hotel group has block-booked its rooms at a reduced rate to help bring rough sleepers in off the streets and protect them from the virus. 

This follows moves made by the government on Friday to close down all public spaces – including restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs – and bring in further social distancing throughout the capital. 

On social media, the mayor said that City Hall had secured an ‘initial 300 rooms’, and that taxi drivers from Gett and FreeNow had provided rides for the homeless to get them into their new rooms and self-isolation. 

‘Rough sleepers already face difficult and uncertain lives and I'm determined to do all I can to ensure they, along with all Londoners, are given the best protection possible,’ said the mayor. 

Read our guide on how to help the homeless in London

Check out these eerie pictures that show London as a ghost town

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