It has been announced that Birmingham will move into Covid Tier 4. Restrictions will come into effect from midnight tonight Wednesday 30 (one minute past midnight Thursday morning, 31 December).
This means non-essential shops must close, along with hairdressers, leisure and entertainment venues. Birmingham City Council parks and household recycling centres (tips) will remain open.
Cllr Ian Ward said: “The move to Tier 4 is another blow, but public health absolutely must be the priority and this action is clearly needed to drive down case rates, save lives and protect the NHS.
“However, as they step up restrictions, the Government must not abandon the workers and businesses that will be hit so hard by this latest announcement. This continuing crisis is devastating businesses in Birmingham, notably those in the hospitality sector, and they need urgent additional support now to help them survive the coming weeks and months.
“Increased testing and the vaccination roll-out give us hope for 2021, but the danger is far from over and even though we have already sacrificed so much, Birmingham will only get out of these tough measures if we all continue to follow the rules. So, I can’t stress enough how important it is for people to do everything they possibly can to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Full details on restrictions can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home