Posted on Tuesday 22nd September 2020
People in Staffordshire are being advised on travel to and from “lockdown” areas, as more places face new COVID-19 restrictions from Tuesday.
Neighbouring Wolverhampton, joins Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull on a growing list of towns and cities being placed under measures. Lancashire (apart from Blackpool) and Liverpool also join the list.
Staffordshire residents can travel to these areas for work, school, shopping or leisure activities. However, residents are not allowed to visit homes in these areas unless this is for work, or the household is part of your support bubble.
Likewise, if you live in any of the affected areas you can travel to Staffordshire, but you must not meet socially with county residents in their homes or gardens, unless they are in your single support bubble. Staffordshire is not currently one of the areas affected by the Government’s latest COVID-19 restrictions.
Dr Johnny McMahon, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing, said:
“Staffordshire residents travelling out of the county need to be aware there are high levels of COVID-19 in Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell and Wolverhampton and they need to consider this when making social visits to these areas to meet with friends or family.
“COVID-19 is extremely contagious and if you do catch the virus there is a health risk to yourself, your family and your close contacts. You will also need to stay home for 10 days and may not be able to work and your household will also have to self-isolate for 14 days.
“As a county council, we are working extremely hard to contain the virus in Staffordshire and protect the lives and livelihoods of the people who live or work here, but we all need to play our part and follow the rules.”
Dr Richard Harling, Staffordshire County Council’s Director of Health and Care, said the new Hands, Face, Space campaign spells out what everyone must do.
“As we head into winter, we want everybody to remember to wash their hands regularly, wear a face covering on public transport and in shops and keep two metres from people not in their household.
“COVID-19 is extremely infectious and following these very simple steps could make a real difference in reducing the spread of infection and help protect yourself, your family and your friends from the virus.”
Full details of the guidance for the West Midlands can be found here