css-14iz86j-BoldText {font-weight: bold;} Different households in parts of the West Midlands can no longer mix indoors, under new government restrictions
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West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has said Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton will be in the high category
Dudley and Coventry will be in the front row, alongside Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Herefordshire, Telford and Warwickshire – meaning the rule of six and covering it up 22:00 fire for pubs and restaurants remain in effect
Stricter restrictions for Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull, which first came into effect on September 15, prohibited people from meeting other people who were not part of their home or bubble of support, in houses or gardens But the rule of six meant that people could always meet in reception areas
Under the new restrictions, people living in these places, as well as Walsall, can no longer mix indoors at all, but can do so outdoors and in private gardens – up to a maximum of six people
M Johnson said he aims to reduce household-to-household transmission by preventing any mixing between different households or by promoting bubbles inside
But M Street said the move was not supported by regional leaders, who said they wanted to maintain existing restrictions
« The main problem in the West Midlands remains transmission within households, and stricter measures for the hospitality industry will not solve this, » he said
« I have always maintained that data and evidence should guide decision-making, and therefore I find it very surprising that the West Midlands, with an average infection rate of 123 per 100,000, now lies in the same level as Manchester, which has an average infection rate of over 550 per 100,000 «
Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, Andrew Mitchell, echoed this, telling the House of Commons on Monday that existing restrictions in the region « were working » and should not be replaced
Figures show there were 1,599 new cases per 100,000 in Birmingham in the week to October 9, up slightly from 1,527 Solihull was at 146, Walsall at 1363, Coventry at 1357 and Sandwell at 1203
Birmingham City Council Deputy Head Brigid Jones tweeted on Wednesday that there was not enough notice for some businesses that were « full of excess inventory »
She said the ban on mixing in pubs was not accompanied by enough support for these companies
Oliver Ngo, who runs Resorts World’s Street Kitchen Vietnamese restaurant, said: “I had to extend the Eat Out To Help Out offer until mid-October to try to keep it going.
« I’m doing everything to try to keep the staff working, but if the government continues to impose these restrictions, what more can I do to try to keep everyone working?
« We were absolutely flying before the lockdown with further restrictions, we will be affected a lot, and once again we will have to think outside the box to try to keep all of our staff on the job »
Lawrence Barton, director of Southside BID in Birmingham, said he felt « great frustration » with restrictions already in place
« It has been shown from the data that the increase in the rate of Covid infection has not occurred in hotel establishments, so for them to continue to punish the hospitality industry makes no sense « he said
« There is no science to support the 10pm curfew, which will further frustrate and cause further distress to an already badly injured area
« They are slowly killing [the sector] and unfortunately the government and our representatives are making decisions there is no basis to restrict the measures as they have done «
Paul Faulkner, chief executive of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “The support offered to businesses during the first wave of the pandemic was unprecedented – but it is being withdrawn just as it is so needed in the areas facing the measures
« The government must not throw away the jobs and businesses that have been saved so far by not intervening now »
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Birmingham, Lockdown, Boris Johnson, Coronavirus, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell District, Andy Street, West Midlands, Solihull
News from the world – UK – Coronavirus: people in some areas from the West Midlands can no longer mix in pubs