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People who visited a restaurant in Solihull are being urged to get tested after 25 people tested positive for Covid-19.

Image source, Google

Public Health England said, external Esabella's, in Warwick Road, had closed voluntarily on Wednesday for seven days so it could be deep cleaned.

Customers are being told to get tested if they visited the restaurant between 28 August and 6 September.

New lockdown measures have been announced for Solihull following a spike in cases., external

People are raising all sorts of points about the new coronavirus restrictions now, and there's a real debate happening on Twitter.

And there is also a fair amount of blame for the situation being thrown around and young people are getting a lot of that.

Image source, Sean Madden

But Sean Madden, from Birmingham, tweeted: "Wrong to ascribe blame for the Birmingham lockdown to young people who are more likely to have been working, to use public transport and live in shared housing."

He said they were the "backbone of the government's attempts to reopen the economy".

David Gregory-Kumar
Science correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

Has the simple message about washing hands, wearing a mask and socially distancing just worn off?

Now we face extra local lockdown rules for Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.

Preventing households from mixing is designed to tackle the spread of the virus through neighbourhoods, which seems to be the issue rather than a virus outbreak based around a pub or factory.

And as cases have risen, so too have the number of people in hospitals.

A number that could double in just seven days if these new measures don't stop the spread of the virus.

People in Birmingham from more than one household and in a group no bigger than six can still go together to shops, restaurants and other venues under new lockdown measures, the city council's leader has confirmed.

Image source, Getty Images

There had been some confusion after the council's leader Ian Ward initially said people could not go with other households.

But the authority has since clarified people can go in a maximum group of six from different households but should "stay vigilant".

Mr Ward said data showed "the infection rate has risen mainly due to social interactions, particularly private household gatherings".

Under the new rules from Tuesday, people are banned from meeting others who are not in their household or support bubble, indoors or in private gardens.

Burton Albion re-sign goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara on a two-year contract following his departure from Manchester United.

A pet shop owner whose business boomed as he stayed open during the pandemic has questioned whether lockdown should have been loosened in the first place.

Paul Beresford, of Erdington Pet Centre, in Birmingham, said: "I do understand that they had to get things going but I think opening things gradually may have been a problem.

"I'm not really surprised by these new restrictions. I think people have probably been holding events that they shouldn't have been.

"It's important that the message is clear because I think it's been very confusing for some people."

Paul spoke to the BBC in May as we met independent shopkeepers who had stayed open during lockdown.

The GP and former mayor of Sandwell, Ann Jaron, is not surprised to see the rise in coronavirus cases.

She said: "All GPs know as soon as schools go back after the summer the number of infections in the community rockets. I thought it was quite likely Covid would do the same."

And she added: "We need some severe restrictions. I just hope they don’t close the schools. It looks like they are going to do as much as they can to keep them open."

Image source, Sandwell Council

She also reported that from what she had seen, it was people around the age of 20 that were reporting the greatest number of cases.

And she said: "People are confused by the measures. I don’t really see a difference between sitting down a table at home or at some establishment."

But at the same time, she said she appreciated these businesses need to be allowed to trade if they were to keep going.

The manager of Birmingham Southside Business Improvement District said she hoped the new guidelines would boost custom at the area's bars and restaurants.

Julia Robinson said: "I think if anything, it could actually boost restaurants and the bar trade.

"If people can’t socialise at home they are more likely to come out."

Announcing the rules, Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said: “I understand that it may be frustrating that you can go to the pub but not see your family, but the data we have shows that the infection rate has risen mainly due to social interactions, particularly private household gatherings.

"In shops and hospitality venues there are strict measures in place to ensure they are Covid-safe, whereas it is much easier to inadvertently pass on the virus in someone’s house where people are more relaxed and less vigilant."

University students won't be stopped from coming to Birmingham despite new lockdown measures being announced for the city from Tuesday.

Image source, Birmingham City University

Thousands are expected to start returning to the city's five universities in the coming weeks.

City council leader Ian Ward said there were no current plans to postpone the start of the academic year.

The Labour councillor told a West Midlands Combined Authority media briefing it was important they resumed their education but should follow guidelines when out in pubs and bars.

"Please make sure that if you have a drink you continue to follow the social distancing guidance, you continue to keep yourself safe, you wash your hands regularly and you follow all of the rules and guidance at the establishments that you are visiting.”

A healthcare assistant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham said the new rules would not change her situation, as she has remained under lockdown to protect her mother, despite restrictions easing.

Sarah Link and her husband bought a caravan on the day the lockdown began and moved out of their home so her mother, 84, could stay in the house.

They are still inside the caravan and she said they would be remaining there "for the foreseeable".

Her main concern, she said, was how the rise in cases would affect the ward she works on, which has been treating Covid-19 patients.

Image source, Sarah Link

Community champions are going to be used in Solihull to try to bring the rate of Covid-19 cases down, according to the area's director of public health.

Ruth Tennant said the area had seen a big jump in cases this month, with 165 since the start of September compared to 84 in the whole of August.

She said they were using people with high-viz jackets out in communities to ask people if they knew what they should be doing to protect themselves from the virus.

"I think it is really about working with communities and not sending out a really strong presence, a sort of enforcement presence," she said.

"Obviously there are occasions we may need that and we will use it, but I think we've got to be really working with people and look for collective solutions to what is a really, really difficult nut to crack."

Joshua Williams, from Ladywood, Birmingham, has told us he thinks the new restrictions are "a little bit too late" and questioned what many have seen as a contradiction.

The 22-year-old, a masters student at the University of Birmingham, said: "I’m no longer allowed to see mum or boyfriend, but can work in a bar in close proximity to hundreds of people."

Image source, Joshua Williams

Mr Williams added: "I can get to that job via public transport but that is apparently lower risk than seeing those close to me."

Rob Mayor
Political reporter, BBC Radio WM

The new restrictions are designed to stop the transmission of the virus in people’s homes which is thought to be behind the increase in cases across the West Midlands conurbation.

Image source, PA Media

We’ll know if it’s working if the infection rate starts to drop over the next few weeks.

Health officials have described this as a critical moment in the battle against the virus and hospitals are again starting to see small numbers of seriously ill Covid-19 patients.

Police will move from an approach of engagement to enforcement of the rules, but with more than 1.6 million people now covered by these restrictions, there will have to be an element of trust that they can be followed.

Bethany Kendle is due to move back to Birmingham on Saturday for a new job after spending lockdown with her parents in Hertfordshire.

The 22-year-old, who celebrates her 23rd tomorrow, said she had planned to see old friends from her time at The University of Birmingham and invite them around to see her new place over the next week, but these plans would now have to be cancelled.

“It’s frustrating, everybody was just starting to spread their wings and it’s all taken away again,” she said.

“I’m living in a flat with two friends from university, so it’s not the end of the world,” she said.

She added she was “so glad” at least to not be alone in a household bubble when she returns to the West Midlands.

Image source, Bethany Kendle

Bethany, who graduated earlier this year with a degree in politics, said she found the rules “quite vague”.

“Anyone I speak to, people don’t really know what’s going on,” she said. “It’s a difficult line to draw, especially when different parts of the country have different rules.”

With no firm timeline for how long the restrictions may be in place, Bethany also thinks this weekend may be her last chance to see her parents until Christmas.

“I’m just going to have to make the most of this weekend,” she said.

Here's a bit more detail on the new restrictions that have come into force in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.

From Tuesday, residents in these areas will not be able to mix with other households, either indoors or outdoors, with the exception of people who are in their support bubble.

And this applies inside and outside the boundaries of those areas.

Image source, Getty Images

People can still go to shops, restaurants and other venues that are open, but mustn't do that with other households.

The reason for this, Birmingham City Council said, was that in shops and hospitality venues, there are strict safety measures in place and it's easier to pass on the virus at someone's house, "where people are more relaxed and less vigilant".

A Birmingham mother has said the new coronavirus guidance for the city "makes no sense".

Tamika Gill, head of the residents' association of a Druid's Heath tower block, which had been earmarked for demolition, said lockdown had been hard for her and her children.

"We had just started to get back to normality, the kids were in school

"Now we have got it and it is going to be taken away again."

Ms Gill questioned why households will not be able to socialise, while groups of 20-30 children will still be mixing at school.

"Kids can see their friends in the classroom, then come out can’t engage, how does that work?"

People have "got complacent" since the easing of lockdown restrictions, said the leader of Sandwell Council.

The local authority area saw 140 cases in the most recent seven-day period which data is available for, up from 72 the previous week, said Councillor Maria Crompton

The largest proportion of cases are in people aged 20 to 40, she added.

Image source, Google

Ms Crompton said there was a higher rise in contamination within households and urged people to stay in their own homes or gardens.

But, she said there was a huge system in place to try to protect families.

"We need to be blunt, people have got complacent."

The leader of Birmingham City Council says he has asked for military help to collect tests for coronavirus in the city.

The authority has started a drop-and-collect service, understood to include a self-test at home which will be delivered to and collected from people struggling to get to testing sites.

Ian Ward said the authority was trying to recruit volunteers and also get military assistance to help with the system.

Image source, Getty Images

Rob England
BBC England Data Unit

Birmingham has the second highest coronavirus infection rate in England, standing at 85.4 cases per 100,000 people as of the week to 7 September.

The week before, it recorded a rate of 32 per 100,000.

According to government’s more local data, Birmingham is home to six of the top 10 neighbourhoods with the highest number of positive cases in England.

Many of these areas saw spikes in the latest week of available data, compared to the week previously – reflecting the overall trend for the city.

Springfield and Hall Green West, in the south-east of the city, had the most cases with 39, a sharp rise on the previous week, where only 11 were recorded.

Wake Green East and Moseley Bog, just south of Springfield, went from recording between 0-2 cases for the past four weeks, to 29 most recently.