Calls for Tamworth Residents to continue to ‘play their part’ to keep the borough safe

Tamworth residents and businesses are being called on to reinforce their efforts against Covid-19, after a new three tier system of Covid-19 restrictions was announced, with Staffordshire currently placed in the ‘medium’ tier.

The three tiers of ‘medium’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’, will see restrictions tightened by area depending on the local rate of infection.

At present, the only city classed as ‘very high’ is Liverpool, with pubs, gyms and leisure centres closing from Wednesday, October 14.

Tamworth is currently classed as ‘medium’, which means the standard national rules apply including the Rule of 6, 10pm curfew for bars and restaurants, work from home where possible and all workplace Covid-secure measures.

Although we’re currently in the lowest tier, positive cases are rising in Tamworth, with 74 new cases confirmed between October 4 and October 10, giving a seven-day rate of 96.5 per 100,000. For Staffordshire as a whole the rate was 103.9 per 100,000. View the Staffordshire Covid figures here.

We are also surrounded by many areas which have been categorised as high and are therefore subject to tighter restrictions. Areas in this tier include High Peak in Derbyshire, Leicester, Nottinghamshire, Birmingham, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Solihull and Walsall.

The high alert level area includes additional restrictions such as no socialising with anybody outside a household or support bubble in any indoor setting and people being advised not to travel into and out of these areas.

Cllr Daniel Cook, Tamworth Borough Council’s Leader, said: “We have worked hard as a borough to protect the vulnerable and we continue to act swiftly to contain outbreaks of Covid-19, to help reduce the risk to both lives and livelihoods.

“But the situation in Liverpool is a stark reminder of what could happen here if we don’t act now, so we are asking people of all ages to reinforce their efforts to help keep Tamworth safe.

“Complacency is Covid-19’s biggest friend and the consequences of not sticking to the rules are now in our own hands.”

As Tamworth is in the ‘medium’ tier this means no extra county-wide guidance is in place.

Current national guidance includes:

• All businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a Covid-19-Secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law, such as nightclubs.
• Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to close between 10pm and 5am.
• Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-thru.
• Schools, universities and places of worship remain open.
• Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees.
• Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take place, provided the Rule of Six is followed.
• People must not meet in groups larger than six, indoors or outdoors.

Test and Trace: You must stay in and book a test at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus if you have symptoms. If positive you must stay in for 10 days. Anybody who you have been in close contact with must self-isolate for 14 days.

Keep up to date with the latest news on Covid-19 at the Gov.UK web pages.

For more information on the new coronavirus tiers and which restrictions apply click here.