'Covid is the ultimate party animal': West Midlands residents urged to stay at home for Tier 4 NYE
One of the West Midlands' most senior health officials has urged people to stick to Tier 4 rules and stay at home to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the region this New Year's Eve.
Dr Lola Abudu, the director for health and wellbeing at Public Health England in the West Midlands, said the pandemic was the "ultimate party animal" as she urged people to remain vigilant.
The West Midlands moved into Tier 4 on New Year's Eve, meaning residents in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire must stay at home unless they have a "reasonable excuse" such as work, exercise, shopping, education or medical reasons.
The rules ban people from mixing with other households, staying away from home overnight and leaving the area without a legally acceptable reason.
All non-essential shops are now closed in the region, as are cinemas and gyms, and hospitality businesses are only allowed to serve takeaways - as was already the case under Tier 3.
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Dr Abudu said: "It's really important that we don't bend the rules, thinking that it won't make much of a difference – it does. Our behaviour impacts on this virus.
"We need to bear in mind that one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it.
"Tonight people will want to celebrate. But I really want to urge everybody to remember that Covid is the ultimate party animal – it spreads when people come together and it knows how to work the room.
"So please celebrate at home. Have fun with friends via Zoom. In these last few months I really urge everybody to continue to work together, and next year we can really all let our hair down when we have gotten over Covid."
Dr Abudu also thanked the people of the West Midlands for their "heroism, commitment, community spirit and kindness" during the last year, and stressed that vaccines offer "real hope" for 2021.
Figures for the week up to December 31 show the coronavirus infection rate stands at 416.5 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton, 298.8 in Walsall, 288.2 in Dudley and 342.2 in Sandwell.
But health chiefs say cases are rising at a "much slower rate" than in London and the South East and would indicate lower levels of the virus variant in the West Midlands.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Waheed Saleem urged people to stay at home, rather than risk catching the virus and said police will be cracking down on any breaches.
Mr Saleem said: "I would implore people 'don't go out to party'. The virus is still here and the police have a special operation for this evening and they will be enforcing breaches – and will not hesitate to use the £10,000 fine on the organisers.
"Please do not go out. As the song goes, 'should auld acquaintance be forgot' – this year they should be."
