Praise for customers and venues as Covid curfew comes in

Customers, pubs and restaurants have been thanked for adhering to new curfew measures introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus – and are being urged to keep doing their bit in the days and weeks ahead.

From last night, all pubs, bars and restaurants in England must operate a table service only, except for takeaways, and close at 10pm, with the exception of deliveries which can continue afterwards. In addition, staff in pubs and restaurants must wear face coverings, as should customers except when they are sat at their table.

Fines for not wearing a face covering where required have doubled to £200 for a first offence. The only exception to these rules is where someone is exempt from wearing a face covering, for instance on medical grounds.

The City of Wolverhampton Council supported officers from Wolverhampton Police who patrolled the city centre last night to ensure venues were implementing the new measures and that customers were following them correctly.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “I’m delighted to say there was excellent compliance to the regulations in local pubs and restaurants last night, and I want to thank everyone for doing their bit in the fight against Covid-19.

"This is now the new normal and these sorts of measures are going to be with us for the foreseeable future unfortunately, so I would urge everyone, as we head into the weekend, to please continue to follow the guidelines and together we can beat this virus.”

Chief Supt Andy Beard said: "Pubs and restaurants have to shut at 10pm as part of efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.

"Officers will continue to be out and about on high-visibility patrols to ensure that restaurants are playing their part, by shutting on time and only offering table service, and that customers are wearing face coverings as required.

"Wolverhampton is now one of a growing number of areas which has tougher restrictions so it’s more important than ever that everyone in the city does their bit in the fight against Covid-19.”

Also this week the Government announced that:

• People who can work from home should do so. Where this is not possible, people should continue to attend their workplaces.
• Face coverings must be worn by staff working in retail and by people in taxis and private hire vehicles.
• From Monday, a maximum of 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, though up to 30 will still be able to attend funerals as is currently the case.
• The 'rule of six' has been extended to all adult indoor team sports.

In addition, people in Wolverhampton must follow local measures which came into effect on Tuesday after the city became an area of national intervention. These 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 into your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law.

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

Symptoms of Covid-19 include a fever, a new, continuous cough and loss or change to a person’s sense of taste and smell. People with symptoms, no matter how mild, should immediately self-isolate and book a test by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119.

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will be asked to share information about people that have been close contacts recently.

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