Coronavirus: Birmingham lockdown restrictions increased

Birmingham households have been banned from combining the new lockdown measures announced following a surge in coronavirus cases.

The city now has the second highest rate of Covid-19 infection in England, behind Bolton.

The measures have also been introduced in neighboring Sandwell and Solihull, affecting more than 1.6 million people.

The restrictions will begin on Tuesday, it was announced at a regional meeting of council leaders.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “The areas will now be escalated to a national intervention area, with a ban on people from socializing with people outside of their own home.”

The restrictions did not refer to “prevention of schools, workplaces, transportation,” but to the mixing of households, he said.

The coronavirus infection rate in Birmingham on September 7 was 85.4 per 100,000 people, up from 32 the previous week.

Street said residents are advised to avoid home mixing before Tuesday’s rules go into effect, as it has been identified “as one of the drivers of transmission.”

“This decision was made in collaboration with local leaders who are considering additional local measures to address the increase in the number of cases,” Street said.

Street said a government announcement would be made later on new measures that could affect other areas of the country.

The latest government R number is between 1 and 1.2, which means the epidemic is growing again.

by Rob England, BBC Data Unit

Birmingham has the second highest rate of coronavirus infection in England, with 85.4 cases per 100,000 people from the week to September 7. The previous week it registered a rate of 32 per 100,000.

Based on the most local government data, Birmingham is home to six of the top 10 neighborhoods with the highest number of positive cases in England.

Many of these areas experienced spikes in the last week of available data, compared to the previous week, reflecting the overall trend for the city.

Springfield and Hall Green West, in the southeast of the city, had the most cases with 39, a sharp increase from the previous week, where only 11 were registered.

Wake Green East and Mosely Bog, south of Springfield, went from 0-2 cases in the past four weeks, to 29 most recently.