Sadiq Khan has hit out at commuters who are refusing to stay at home following the deaths of five London bus workers who tested positive for Covid-19.
The mayor of the capital said he was 'absolutely devastated' following the coronavirus deaths.
He tweeted a statement saying that 'lives depend' on people following Government rules to stay at home unless travel is essential.
So far coronavirus has taken the lives of 4,313 people in the UK and a whopping 41,903 are infected with the disease.
Sadiq Khan has hit out at commuters who are refusing to stay at home following the deaths of five London bus workers who tested positive for Covid-19
The mayor of the capital said he was 'absolutely devastated' following the coronavirus deaths. Pictured is a huge crowd of Londoners trying to cram on to a bus on March 23 - the day the UK went under lockdown
Meanwhile, trade union Unite said the deaths were a 'terrible tragedy'
Mr Khan said: 'I have been clear that our incredible public transport staff – on the buses, tubes, trams and trains – are critical workers, making a heroic effort to allow our NHS staff to save more lives.
'But we need to play our part too and that means fewer Londoners using the public transport network.
'Please follow the rules. Stay at home and do not use public transport unless it is absolutely unavoidable.'
Boris Johnson placed the UK under lockdown on March 23, meaning that people are only allowed to leave their house if they are key workers, shopping for essentials, helping vulnerable people or going out for exercise once a day.
However, Khan has come under fire for axing many train and bus services and effectively forcing commuters to cram in together.
During a press briefing last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'When it comes to the Tube, the first and the best answer is that Transport for London should have the Tube running in full so that people travelling are spaced out and can be further apart, obeying the two-metre rule wherever possible.
'And there is no good reason in the information that I've seen that the current levels of Tube provision should be as low as they are. We should have more Tube trains running.'
Nicola Smith, who carries out ultrasound scans at a central London hospital, posted a picture of her journey to work online last week, showing Tube passengers squeezed together. 'This is my Tube this morning. I live in zone 4 and work in a zone 1 hospital. I love my job, but now I'm risking my health just on the journey in?!' she wrote on Twitter.
Earlier that day, commuters packed in like sardines hit back at the Mayor, with one victim claiming it was about saving money, tweeting: 'Using the pandemic to save a few pennies. Nice work helping the people you claim to represent'.
Another Londoner wrote: 'Utter disgrace. We need professional leadership at this time'.
Nicola Smith, who carries out ultrasound scans at a central London hospital, posted a picture of her journey to work online last week, showing Tube passengers squeezed together.
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