Council welcomes care bubble exemption from local measures

The City of Wolverhampton Council has welcomed the announcement that extended family and friends can continue to care for children and vulnerable adults despite local lockdown measures.

The Government announced yesterday that informal carers will still be able to provide care for children aged under 14 and vulnerable adults in parts of the country with restrictions on household mixing, which came into force in Wolverhampton today, by being part of a "care bubble".

Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "We welcome this announcement which will come as a relief to families who rely on others, whether they be relatives or friends, to help them look after a child or vulnerable adult.

"It's important to stress that this must be a continuation of existing arrangements, so if a friend or relative has been picking up a child from school or looks after a little one while their parents are at work, or if someone looks after a vulnerable adult or child, this can continue.

"If it is not an existing arrangement, the rules about households remaining apart should apply – that means you must not invite anyone into your house or garden if they are not part of your household, support bubble or care bubble, and nor should you visit other people’s homes or gardens. One-offs such as play dates are not permitted.

“We all need to follow the guidelines and do our bit to stop the spread of coronavirus and we must not lose sight of the fact that Covid-19 poses a greater risk to older and more vulnerable people. Forming a care bubble should only happen if it’s absolutely necessary, and I would urge people who are more at risk, like grandparents, to carry on doing all they can to minimise their exposure to the virus as much as possible.”

Wolverhampton became an area of national intervention on Friday due to a sustained raise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. The new restrictions mean:

You must not allow people you don't live with or who are not part of your support bubble into your home or garden.

• You must not visit people you do not live with or who are not part of your support bubble in their home or garden, in Wolverhampton or elsewhere.
• People can only come inside your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law (see the guidance for further details).

These restrictions apply to everyone living and working within the city of Wolverhampton. The measures do not affect schools, public transport or workplaces, though people should still practice social distancing and wear a face covering where required. People within a support bubble – where a household with one adult joins with another household on an exclusive basis – can still visit each other, stay overnight and visit public places together.

For full details of the local restrictions, please the answers to frequently asked questions, please visitwww.wolverhampton.gov.uk/restrictions. Posters detailing the local measures are available to download from the same page.

Meanwhile the Government has this afternoon announced a range of further measures which will be introduced across England. To keep up to date with the latest information and guidance around coronavirus, please visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus.