The Queen's guard is given water to drink outside London's Buckingham Palace during a heat wave

• Image Credit: Internet

• Jul 19, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

While ministers urged the public to stay at home, the heatwave forced train companies to cancel services and some schools to close. Temporary speed restrictions were imposed on London's metro system, resulting in a reduced service and longer than usual commutes. According to Reuters, it advised commuters to remain at home.

Digital
Desk: During the current heatwave, which has caused some areas of Britain to
experience temperatures as high as the mid-40s Celsius, a picture of a member
of Queen Elizabeth II's guard getting water to drink on Monday outside
Buckingham Palace in London has gone viral.

As
much of Europe bakes in a heatwave, wildfires are raging across the tinder-dry
countryside in Portugal, Spain, and France.

For
parts of England on Monday and Tuesday, the weather service has issued the
first-ever red "extreme heat" warning, and a national emergency has
been declared. The highest temperature ever recorded in Britain was 38.7
degrees Celsius on July 25, 2019.

While
ministers urged the public to stay at home, the heatwave forced train companies
to cancel services and some schools to close. Temporary speed restrictions were
imposed on London's metro system, resulting in a reduced service and longer
than usual commutes. According to Reuters, it advised commuters to remain at
home.

Authorities
in southern Europe fought to contain massive wildfires on Sunday; hundreds of
fatalities were attributed to the region's soaring temperatures, which
scientists say are consistent with climate change.

The
British Health Security Agency (UKHSA), according to news agency Reuters, has
also raised the level of the heat health warning for England for Monday and
Tuesday to Level 4. A Level 4 red alert is issued in the event of a heatwave,
which is regarded as a national emergency "has consequences that go beyond
what the health and social care system can handle because it is so severe
and/or long-lasting. Now, not only are high-risk groups susceptible to illness
and death, but also fit and healthy individuals."