Response to Coronavirus "watch list" announcement
The following is a statement from Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, after it was announced the city was now on the national COVID-19 "watch list".
Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “As we have previously said, this announcement was expected following rising coronavirus case numbers here in Birmingham. We are working with our partners locally and at a government level to shape plans and secure the resources such as extra testing that we need that will get the infection rate down.
“We will make announcements as soon as possible about what this means for the people of the city. If our previous warnings to keep doing the basics haven’t been enough, this has to be the wake-up call for everyone. Wash your hands, wear face coverings wherever possible, keep 2m apart from others and get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms.”
Background information
Birmingham is not in "lockdown". It is an "Area of Enhanced Support".
The three definitions for the national watchlist are: ‘Areas of Concern’, ‘Areas of Enhanced Support’, and ‘Areas of Intervention’.
* For ‘areas of concern’, Upper Tier Local Authorities will work with partners, supported by regional PHE and NHS Test and Trace resource, to take additional actions to manage outbreaks and reduce community spread of the virus to more normal levels. Actions taken may include additional targeted testing at high risk areas or groups, for example care homes, enhanced communications around the importance of social distancing, hand hygiene and other preventative measures, and more detailed epidemiological work to understand where clusters of the virus are occurring so that appropriate action can be taken.
* On top of this, areas deemed for ‘enhanced support’ will be provided with increased national support, capacity and oversight, including additional resources deployed to augment the local teams where this is necessary. Actions taken may include significant additional widespread testing deployed to the Upper Tier Local Authorities, national support for local recommendations put in place to manage outbreaks, and detailed engagement with high risk groups and sectors to help increase the effectiveness of testing and tracing in these areas.
* In addition, ‘Areas of intervention’ are defined where there is divergence from the lockdown measures in place in the rest of England because of the significance of the spread of COVID-19. There are a range of non-pharmaceutical interventions available to local and national leaders, from extensive communications, expanded testing, to restrictions on businesses and gatherings.
The Government's press announcement on Birmingham's addition to the watch list can be found here.
