Too early to say when schools will reopen
Hospital trust debt written off
Park shut after reports of gatherings
Mortuaries built at Birmingham Airport and Hereford trading estate
Man charged with attacking paramedic
Farmer ploughs 'NHS' into field
Updates from Wednesday 8 April
Adam Peaty is raffling off the trunks he wore when he won gold at the Rio Olympics, to raise money for the NHS.
The Staffordshire swimmer said the money would be used to buy protective equipment and he decided not to sell them by auction, because a raffle would give more people the chance to win.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe winning entry will be drawn on 10 April.
Image source, Getty ImagesBirmingham's bid to end such scenes has been hit by the 'profound impact' of Covid-19, its council said
Levels of nitrogen dioxide fall by an average 40% on the same period last year.
Levels of nitrogen dioxide fall by an average 40% on the same period last year.
Read MoreThe NHS is looking to recruit admin staff to work at hospitals in Birmingham.
It's also looking for staff to work at the new Nightingale site at the NEC, which is due to open this weekend.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe health service is also still looking to recruit more doctors and registered nurses.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet is putting on a performance of The Swan this afternoon, which will be broadcast online.
It will feature principal dancer Céline Gittens, along with cellist António Novais and pianist Jonathan Higgins.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe performance will be streamed by BBC Arts at 15:00 and will appear later on BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio Stoke
People in the Rode Heath area, near Alsager, are joining dancing sessions each night at 18:30 from the convenience of their own doorsteps.
Neighbours in the area are having a boogie, from as young as three up to people in their 80s.
BBC Radio 5 Live
Intensive care teams are seeing "challenging" conditions in Birmingham, but staff are "coping" thanks to the lockdown, a consultant has said.
Dr Ron Daniels, an intensive care consultant in the city, told BBC Radio 5Live, that Birmingham had doubled its intensive care capacity "in preparation for the crisis", but that capacity was "now full and we [still] have patients coming in".
"we are just about coping and that is thanks to lockdown and the good behaviour of the vast majority of people, but it’s hard," he added.
Image source, Getty ImagesDr Daniels said there was additional discretionary capacity available within hospitals, primarily in operating theatres that are no longer conducting elective surgery.
Despite the circumstances there was a "gritty determination and resilience" among staff, he added.
Health professionals from other disciplines coming into intensive care to help were also "all rolling up their sleeves and that’s getting everyone through", he said.
More companies are moving their sales online, to make up for the lack of business and the Purity brewery at Great Alne in Warwickshire is now doing 200 deliveries a day.
It said people were ordering beer from their homes and it had helped offset the loss of orders from pubs.
Image source, GoogleSome pubs, such as the White Hart in Shifnal, are doing similar deliveries and are taking orders for barrels of beer and even bar snacks.
Over the last few days we've seen a few short TikTok videos of NHS and emergency staff letting off some steam with dancing or singing.
This one is from the West Midlands Ambulance Service.
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A temporary mortuary has been set up in Hereford in preparation for an increase in deaths from Covid-19.
The council-owned site at Three Elms will provide extra capacity for the Wye Valley NHS Hospital Trust.
It won't be open to the public and Herefordshire Council said it was working with funeral directors to ensure a "safe and respectful process".
More than 300 birthday cards have been sent to a woman who is celebrating her 100th birthday at a Stourbridge care home.
The Prestwood Lodge Care Home said all Gladys Stokes asked for was a visit from an ice cream van, so they arranged for her to have a 99 delivered.
Image source, Prestwood Lodge Care HomeThe care home said Gladys was one of the first female police officers during World War Two and staff and residents created her a cake and bought gifts.
Image source, Prestwood Lodge Care HomeRobbie Williams's concert at Vale Park on 20 June has been postponed until next summer.
He'd been calling it his "homecoming show", because he is originally from the Burslem area of Stoke-on-Trent. Tickets sold already can be used for next year's event.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn a statement, the singer said it was the organisers who "sensibly decided to postpone the event".
Staff and students from the University of Worcester are being encouraged to give up their time to help in the battle against the coronavirus.
Those living locally are being asked to work in the community, while classes are suspended.
Some have already signed up to work on the front line for the NHS, or in laboratories.
People planning to travel by train are being warned they could be stopped by the police and questioned about their journey.
British Transport Police said it would have hundreds of officers out across the rail network and asked people to only take the train if it was essential.
Image source, British Transport PoliceLast week, West Midlands Trains said it was cutting the number of train services, because of falling passenger numbers and staff having to take time off to self-isolate.
Firefighters in Shropshire who are trained in trauma support are offering their support to NHS staff dealing with coronavirus.
For the past 18 months it has been running a scheme, developed for the military, that helps fire staff to deal with upsetting incidents.
The scheme also identifies whether further professional assistance for sufferers might be needed.
More than £600 has been raised to help a Worcester nurse who had her catalytic converter stolen while she was parked at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
She discovered it was missing when she was driving home after a 12-hour shift and said the incident left her feeling worried and frightened.
Image source, PA MediaThieves took the converters from two vehicles parked at the hospital on Saturday night and West Mercia Police said it was "disappointing" it happened "at a time when our health care professionals are risking their lives".
The fundraising for the nurse has been carried out by the "Plate one up and pass it on Worcestershire, external" Facebook group and a local garage has offered her a 50% discount to get it fixed.
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of coughing in the faces of shop staff in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Police were called to two supermarkets on Monday night to investigate reports of shoplifting.
The 34-year-old is being questioned on suspicion of common assault and assaulting an emergency worker.
Here are three stories from the Shropshire Star:
A 21-year-old man has been charged with wounding after a West Midlands Ambulance paramedic was punched in the face.
An ambulance was sent to an address in Coventry on Sunday, following reports of a man suffering breathing difficulties.
The paramedic suffered a broken jaw in an alleged attack and needed surgery.
Andy Giddings
BBC News
The Wolves striker Diogo Jota, has been entertaining himself during lockdown by playing the Football Manager computer game.
The Guardian revealed , externalhe'd chosen to play as the manager of AFC Telford United and was into his 10th season with them.
So naturally, AFC Telford United had to create this photo, showing how things might look in the 2029/30 season.
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Andy Giddings
BBC News
Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.
We'll be bringing you all the latest news for the West Midlands.
We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email,Twitter , externaland Facebook., external
