10 things we all must do to stop the spread of Covid-19

There are 10 key things that we all must to do to stop the spread of coronavirus in Wolverhampton.

The city was made an area of national intervention following a sustained rise in infection rates over the last few weeks. Latest data shows there were 69.44 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 residents in Wolverhampton in the seven days up to 25 September, compared to 55.72 in the seven days to 18 September.

Wolverhampton’s Director of Public Health John Denley said: "Covid-19 hasn't gone away, but if we all work together, we will stop the spread – and there are 10 key things we all must do in order to defeat this virus."

1. Don't allow people you either don't live with or who aren’t part of your support or care bubble into your home or garden, or visit theirs. You can only invite people into your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law.
2. Hands: Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds.
3. Face: Wear a face covering where required, including in shops, on public transport, in pubs, restaurants and bars (unless you are seated) and in other places where social distancing may be difficult, unless you are exempt for medical or other reasons. Fines for not doing so now start at £200.
4. Space: Stay 2m apart from people you do not live with, or 1m-plus with extra precautions in place if 2m is not possible, and ensure you follow the 'rule of six'.
5. Download the Covid-19 app – www.covid19.nhs.uk – and 'check in' when you visit businesses and other venues.
6. Work from home if you can.
7. Adhere to the hospitality curfew – pubs, restaurants and bars must shut at 10pm.
8. Support businesses which are Covid-secure – for instance, ones that enable social distancing and adhere to the 10pm curfew – and take your custom elsewhere if they are not.
9. Get a test if you have symptoms of Covid-19, however mild, by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119. Symptoms include a new, continuous cough, a fever and a loss or change to your sense of taste or smell.
10. Share your contact details for Test and Trace purposes and self-isolate as required. People who refuse to self-isolate can now be fined up to £10,000.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "We know how restrictive these measures are, but we simply must follow them if we are to control the virus, keep our loved ones safe and protect jobs and our economy. We’re all in this together and, together, we’ll get through it.”

The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus.

For full details of the local restrictions, and the answers to frequently asked questions, please visitwww.wolverhampton.gov.uk/restrictions.

There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS atwww.nhs.uk/coronavirus.