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New lockdown restrictions have been announced for Birmingham, Sandwell, and Solihull in a bid to halt the rising coronavirus cases in communities, along with the rise in hospital admissions.
After a hectic afternoon, with some confusion over the rules and regulations, we sat down with Dr. Justin Varney, Birmingham’s director of public health, to clarify the main points.
The complete guide has now been published by the Department of Health and Social Assistance.
What are the new rules?
The new restrictions state that you should not have visitors in your home or garden in the Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell council areas.
You shouldn’t house people you don’t live with in your home or garden, unless they are in your bubble of support.
You should not meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, wherever they live, unless they are in your bubble of support: a household of an adult joining your household, exclusively.
Your home is defined as the people you live with and any bubbles of support.
Households within a supportive bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.
Who can enter my house?
Now a list of exemptions is published.
- For someone to attend a birth at the mother’s request
- To visit a dying person (the visitor can be someone the dying person lives with, a close relative, a friend, or, if neither of them is visiting, anyone else)
- To fulfill a legal obligation
- For work purposes (see the guide on how to work safely in other people’s homes) or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services
- For educational or training purposes.
- For child care provided by a registered provider
- To provide emergency assistance
- Allow one or more people in the meeting to avoid injury or illness or avoid a risk of harm
- To facilitate a home move
- To provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
- Continue existing arrangements for parent-child access and contact when children do not live in the same home as their parents or one of their parents.
We’ve broken it down to help with some specific questions and areas of concern:
Childcare
The new restrictions are clear: child care provided by a registered provider is exempt.
You can continue to use child care and early childhood settings, including caregivers and providers who offer clubs before or after school or other settings outside of school for children. You can also continue to employ babysitters; see the guide on working safely in other people’s homes.
Friends or family members you do not live with should not visit your home to help with childcare unless they are part of your bubble of support.
The only people who should help you with childcare in your home are the people you live with, the people in your support bubble, or registered childcare providers, including babysitters.
Children of separated parents can continue to move from one household to another.
Therefore, if a family friend or relative living in another home provides ad hoc child care, this must end while the restrictions are in effect.
Dr. Varney explained, “We have to go back to the time when we could allow very few people into our homes.”
Travel
There are no travel restrictions; however, the rule of not visiting someone in their private home or sharing a “home” with them applies wherever you visit.
Q: I was planning to visit my parents in London next weekend and stay with them, okay?
A: No. As of Tuesday, anyone who lives in Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell should not visit another home, in your house or garden, anywhere in the country. That includes far away locations.
You can still travel anywhere, so in this example you could visit London and stay in a hotel, meet your parents in a restaurant or park, but not visit them at home.
Q: I have a vacation home reserved with another home. Can I still go?
A: While the restrictions are in effect, not if you share a house or room with someone you don’t live with. You can go on vacation to the same destination and stay in separate hotel rooms, for example, and meet only at the restaurant, on the beach, in the parks, etc., but without sharing a “home”.
Q: Can I continue to use public transportation?
A: Yes, there are no travel restrictions, subject to the restrictions in effect everywhere.
Work and socialization
Q: I have a business meeting in an office with people from other households. Can I still attend?
So. As long as your workplace is Covid safe and you follow social distancing and other guidelines.
Q: Can I meet people from another household at the pub or restaurant?
A: This was briefly the cause of some consternation and confusion, but yes, as long as you observe the current restrictions that limit meetings to SIX people.
Weddings and funerals
These are not individually affected by rule changes at the local level. However, just like anywhere else, from Monday weddings, civil association ceremonies and receptions, funerals (including crematorium ceremonies) and other life cycle religious ceremonies can have up to 30 people present. , as long as the place is safe and Covid. orientation is followed.
Religious ceremonies and places of worship.
There are no changes to the rules at the local level. You can attend a mosque, church, synagogue, temple, or other place or worship, but you must socially distance yourself from people outside your home. This means keeping a distance of two meters, or one meter with extra precautions (like wearing face covers).
If possible, religious or prayer services should be held outdoors.
Team sport and physical activity
You may play a team sport only when it is formally organized by a sports club or similar organization, and a guide has been issued from the sport’s governing body. See a list of governing bodies whose guidance has been revised.
You can play individual sports, but you must follow the instructions.
All other sports activities should not be done with people you do not live with in covered public places or outdoors.
When do the rules go into effect?
Tuesday, September 15, with regulatory orders in force establishing the full list of rules
What happens between now and Tuesday? Do I have to follow the new rules?
No, but you are urgently advised to take extra precautions from now on. The reason the restriction is slightly delayed is to notify residents and employers of any changes that affect them, and because officials need time to implement regulations and clear up any outstanding issues.
How long will the restrictions last?
The restrictions will be reviewed weekly, with new announcements every Friday, Mayor Andy Street said today.
However, Dr. Varney advised waiting for the new restrictions to last “for at least two to three weeks.”
This is because the impact of the restrictions can only be assessed after a period of at least fifteen days. A sudden drop for a few days would not be enough to order the lifting of the ban.
What happens if I break the rules?
These requirements will become law on September 15. This means that from 15 September the police will be able to take action against those who break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing notices of fixed fines starting at £ 100 for those participating in illegal gatherings.
People over 18 years of age may be fined:
- £ 100 for the first offense, reduced to £ 50 if paid within 14 days
- £ 200 for the second offense, then doubled for each additional offense up to a maximum of £ 3,200
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