Households banned from mixing in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull from Tuesday

11 September 2020, 14:18 | Updated: 11 September 2020, 18:03

New restrictions have been brought into effect in Birmingham and surrounding areas
New restrictions have been brought into effect in Birmingham and surrounding areas. Picture: PA

By Joe Cook

Over a million people living in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull will be banned from meeting people outside of their household from Tuesday, in the UK's latest local lockdown.

The announcement from West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, was widely expected, after the latest seven-day rate for Birmingham showed 78.2 cases per 100,000.

The Mayor said he had been permitted to escalate the region “to an area of national intervention”, with the agreement of Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

"The ban will take effect from Tuesday 15th September, but residents are advised to avoid household mixing before then as it has been identified as one of the drivers of transmission”, he said.

The city of 1.4 million people is now third in a national table of high infection rates, behind Bolton and Sunderland, despite only recording 30 cases per 100,000 in the last week of August.

Kettering, Oadby and Wigston and Luton have also been removed from the coronavirus watchlist.

West Midlands Police to take a 'much more targeted approach' to lockdown enforcement

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Ian Ward: “I understand that it may be frustrating that you can go to the pub but not see your family, but the data we have shows that the infection rate has risen mainly due to social interactions, particularly private household gatherings.

“People can still go out to shops and to restaurants and other venues that are open, though not with other households, but remember to be vigilant; if a venue doesn’t look safe and you are not asked for your contact details, take your business elsewhere.”

In a worrying development, Cllr Ward said the city has seen "an increase of hospital admissions with Covid-19 and an increase in cases in care homes".

“For those who are not following the rules, take a look at the number of hospital admissions. This is very real, the virus is out there and it still kills people”, Cllr Ward said.

The decision to increase restrictions has been “made in collaboration with local leaders who are considering additional local measures to tackle the increase in the number of cases," the Mayor said.

He added: "To emphasise, this is about mixing between households, it is not about prevention of schools, workplaces, transport, any of the other options - it is about household mixing."

Mayor Street said the full Government announcement on measures, potentially affecting other areas of the country, would be made "later".

Cllr Ward explained that the restrictions “apply both inside and outside the city boundary”.

"If you live in the city boundary, you cannot mix with another household outside the city boundary.

"If you live in the affected area, in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, you must not host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they're in your support bubble.

Earlier on Friday, West Midlands police urged people to “take responsibility” with coronavirus restrictions and said there would be a "targeted" response once they establish where the infection risk lies within communities.

According to Dr Justin Varney, the Birmingham's director of public health, the huge increase in September is believed to be "linked primarily to private household gatherings" happening at the end of August and during the bank holiday weekend.

Coronavirus: Areas in England with most new cases per 100,000 people

Flouting of social distancing and contact tracing rules in pubs, bars and restaurants has also been highlighted as a reason, while an increase in testing likely turned up more positive results.

The Mayor said earlier this week that new restrictions were "very, very likely" as he warned younger people to "take responsibility".

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “The reinforcement of the nationwide rule of 6 for social gatherings sends a clear signal to us all - the whole country must continue to stay vigilant and practice social distancing to beat this virus.

“After seeing cases in the West Midlands continue to rise, the decision has been taken in collaboration with local leaders to ban households mixing in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull. We never take these decisions lightly but social gatherings can spread the virus quickly, and we need residents to abide by the new rules to break the chains of transmission.  

“Where targeted action has been taken, we are seeing signs of progress, and today’s easements in Leicester are proof that the measures we are putting in place in collaboration with local councils have a positive effect.

“We will not hesitate to take further action if needed, and my appeal to you all is to get a test if you are symptomatic, stay at home if you are required to self-isolate, and to constantly think: hands, face, space. Only then can we avoid further restrictions, and return to a sense of normality”

Nick Ferrari confronts business minister over rule of six

The government also announced that some business will be able to reopen in Leicester from Tuesday 15 September, which will now be subject to the same business restrictions as the majority of England.

Casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, exhibition halls, conference centres and indoor play areas (including soft play areas) will be able to lawfully reopen from Tuesday next week.  

Data released on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) shows the estimate for R across the UK is between 1.0 and 1.2.

An average of 3,200 people per day were estimated to be newly infected with Covid-19 between August 30 and September 5, the ONS said.

This is up from an average of 2,000 people per day between August 19 and 25.

Government scientific advisors have described the figures as a "wake-up call", saying additional measures such as local interventions may be needed to control the spread of the virus.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Scott Paterson murdered his landlady Annette Smith

Tenant murdered and dismembered elderly landlady before posing as her by sending Christmas cards to family

Priti Patel has been named shadow foreign secretary

Kemi Badenoch names former leadership rivals Robert Jenrick and Priti Patel to Tory Shadow Cabinet team

Bridget Phillipson has confirmed the tuition fee rise

University tuition fees to rise for first time in eight years, as Tories accuse Labour of 'declaring war on students'

Sara Sharif had suffered dozens of injuries in the weeks leading up to her death, a court has heard

Video of Sara Sharif smiling and dancing 'days before murder' shown to court

Transport for London (TfL) has warned passengers that no Tube services are expected on Thursday 7 November

November Tube strikes to bring London to a halt this week despite RMT calling off action

Stuart Gogg during the Six Nations rugby match between France and Scotland in Saint-Denis, 26 February 2023

Former Scotland rugby captain pleads guilty to domestic abuse over five-year period against former partner

Kie Joyce, 21, was sentenced for his role in at least 35 phone thefts.

WATCH: Moment phone snatchers are arrested in London chicken shop after spree of thefts

One of two assassination attempts made towards the former President was carried out in Pennsylvania

Trump says he would not 'mind' if journalists were shot at Pennsylvania rally

A 10-year-old girl who was mauled to death by her family's dog had a 'close, loving relationship' with the pet that killed her, police have said.

'Devastated' family pay tribute to 'wonderful' 10-year-old girl mauled to death by pet dog

Trump has been fixated on crowd sizes throughout this election cycle

Trump's latest crowd size brag backfires as camera pans to reveal sea of empty seats

Harris overtakes Trump in new polls as VP's rally is moved due to safety concerns on eve of 'knife-edge' US election

Harris overtakes Trump in new polls as VP's rally is moved due to safety concerns on eve of 'knife-edge' US election

Tuition fees are set to rise with inflation

Government set to increase university tuition fees for first time in eight years

Kris Finney has been missing since Thursday

British man missing in Tenerife not seen for three days as Foreign Office issues statement

A 'severed head' was discovered in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Partygoers mistook severed head for Halloween prank after 74-year-old man 'decapitated' in 'tragic' Edinburgh incident

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Police have launched an appeal to find missing artist Sarah Cunningham after she vanished in the early hours of Saturday in Camden.

Police searching for missing artist Sarah Cunningham find body on tracks