WOLVERHAMPTON has been added to the local lockdown alongside Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell, the Government has announced.

Although the new legal restrictions won’t come into force until Tuesday, September 22, council bosses have urged residents to follow them from today.

The new rules mean:

  • You must not allow people you don’t live with or who are not part of your bubble into your home or garden.
  • You must not visit people you do not live with or who are not part of your bubble, in Wolverhampton or elsewhere.
  • Only essential visits inside the home, such as by carers or for urgent repairs, will be allowed.
  • The measures will not affect schools, public transport or workplaces, though people should still practice social distancing and wear a face covering where required.

In a statement released following the new restrictions in the city announced on Friday, Wolverhampton City Council said: “These restrictions will be law and people could be fined for breaking them.

“The measures will not affect schools, public transport or workplaces, though people should still practise social distancing and wear a face covering where required.

“Wolverhampton has become an area of national intervention – along with neighbouring Sandwell, Birmingham and Solihull where similar restrictions came into force on Tuesday – due to a sustained raise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

“Latest data shows that confirmed cases have risen five-fold in a fortnight. There were around 60 cases per 100,000 residents in the seven days to 12 September compared to 12.6 cases per 100,000 in the week to 29 August. Some 90% of cases are linked to household-to-household transmission.”

Commenting on the new restrictions in Wolverhampton, Ian Brookfield, the leader of the city council, said: “All the evidence shows that close contact within the home or between households is a major cause of the spread of Covid-19, and that’s why for the last few days we’ve been urging households to stay apart from one another.

“We urge residents to continue to support our plea not to visit other households – this will be the law from Tuesday.

“These measures are like those which were in place at the height of the pandemic and the message is simple; you mustn’t allow people who are not part of your household or bubble into your home or garden, or go to visit them in their house or garden in Wolverhampton or elsewhere.

“We’ve all had to do this before; now we need to do it again if we are to stop the spread of coronavirus, keep our loved ones safe and protect jobs and our economy. Please play your part and together we will get through this.”