Birmingham lockdown: separate households banned from mixing after coronavirus spike

11 September 2020, 15:02 | Updated: 11 September 2020, 15:14

Is Birmingham back in lockdown? A new ban on households mixing will be introduced in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.

Earlier today, it was announced that Birmingham will be introducing a ban on households mixing following a spike of coronavirus cases.

The new measure - which will come into force on Tuesday - will also apply to Sandwell and Solihull, and will affect around 1.5million.

Read more: France will pay parents to stay home with children if coronavirus closes schools again

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: "The areas will now be escalated to an area of national intervention, with a ban on people socialising with people outside their own household."

There are currently 68 patients with Covid-19 receiving treatment in Birmingham, with seven of them - aged 40-75 - in intensive care.

Birmingham is now third in the national table of infection rates in local areas, behind Bolton and Sunderland.

The latest seven-day infection rate data showed 78.2 cases per 100,000 in the city, which is the highest since the peak in April.

Read more: Britain 'could be put on curfew with bars and restaurants closing at 10pm' amid coronavirus spike

Dr David Rosser, chief executive at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), has warned that cases will still likely rise in Birmingham over the next week, despite these measures.

Heximap shows Covid-19 on the rise again in England

Speaking to Birmingham Live, he said: "Even if we brought in some sort of social measures today to stop the spread completely we would still expect to see cases double in a week - those people have already got it, they just don't know it yet.

"We have seen hospital admissions double in a week and I expect it to double in the next week again - it's an exponential curve. We are in the foothills of that curve."

Dr Mark Garvey, consultant microbiologist and deputy chief of infection prevention and control for UHB, added: "At our peak we had 708 in-patients at one time, of which about one in six were critically ill. We are seeing the same proportion now."

NOW READ:

Animated graphic shows where coronavirus cases are rising in England