People in Wolverhampton urged to follow new Government rules

Council chiefs in the city called on residents to continue to follow social distancing measures – and stay at home as much as possible.

It comes as the Government announced new measures to "control the virus" as part of a plan to get back to normal.

John Denley, director of public health at Wolverhampton Council, said: "We are all responsible for helping to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and we know that the lockdown has been working.

"It is incredibly important that everyone continues to adhere to the social distancing measures which remain in place. That means staying at home as much as possible and keeping at least two metres away from others when we are out and about.

"The Prime Minister gave us the first indications of how we, as a country, might start to get back to normal.

“Anyone who is able to work from home must continue to work from home, but there will be a gradual increase in the number of people who go into work, and social distancing measures need to be adopted to ensure that this is safe."

Other existing measures are still in place – including restrictions at funerals and social distancing in place in the city's markets.

Mr Denley added: "There will continue to be updates on the steps that are safe to take us out of lockdown over the coming weeks, but the progress that we make depends on us all continuing to adhere to social distancing rules – the limited changes to the guidance announced do not, by any stretch of the imagination, constitute an end to the lockdown.

"In the meantime we simply must do all we can to stay home and to avoid unnecessary contact with others, because the more we do this right now, the quicker we can all get back to normal."