Coronavirus: Birmingham council to get power to shut businesses

A council will be given the power to close pubs and restaurants that do not follow Covid-19 rules.

Birmingham City Council will be allowed to take enforcement action against businesses that fail to comply - in a bid to drive infection rates down.

The city is on a government watch list after a spike in cases, but latest figures show numbers are falling.

The council's leader said it "cannot be complacent".

Under the measures, which come into force on Wednesday, businesses who are failing to comply with Covid-19 regulations could be issued with a written warning and, if they continue to flout the rules, may be ordered to close.

The council will also be able to prohibit certain types of event taking place, including weddings, based on size.

It will also be able to restrict access to, or close, public outdoor places if there is a public health need to do so.

The council has a whistleblowing number for members of the public to use if they feel a business is not complying with regulations.

Birmingham was put on Public Health England's watchlist on Friday.

The number of cases in the city in the week to 13 August was 347, but dropped to 272 in the week to 20 August.

However, this worked out at 24 cases per 100,000 residents in one week, compared with 11 per 100,000 across the whole of England.

Since the second city went onto the 'watchlist' there has been plenty of speculation about what would come next.

I understand the government was worried about a Leicester-style widespread set of spikes that would warrant more serious action.

But the very latest figures show a halt in the upwards trend, plus more specific pockets of cases.

So rather than more draconian measures, for the moment anyway, the council will simply enforce many of the current guidelines - but with the force of the law behind it.

That means resources though. A new whistleblowing hotline will help. But it's a big job.

The city council's leader, Councillor Ian Ward, said: "While the recent figures show our rates are going down, we cannot be complacent.

"We must all continue to follow all the relevant safety guidance in order to protect our families, friends and work colleagues."

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