Birmingham City Council leader calls for a four-week ‘circuit breaker’

The leader of Birmingham City Council has called for a four-week national “circuit breaker” lockdown to stem the tide of positive Covid-19 cases in the UK.

Councillor Ian Ward has said that moving the city into Tier 3 isn’t on its own enough and that the Government needs to impose a month-long lockdown as the case rises in areas which are already in Tiers 2 and 3 have showed that the system isn’t working.

He said: “The circuit-breaker has the best chance in my view of driving rates down and gives the government time to address the serious problems with the Serco test and trace system.

“I am not suggesting the Government imposes this and just crosses its fingers, it would be an opportunity to put things right and it would buy us valuable time.

“Delaying this decision will mean more avoidable deaths and only prolong the economic damage because the current system just doesn’t work.

“My view, when it emerged the government had chosen to ignore calls for a circuit-breaker in September, was that if the three-tier system didn’t work then the government would have serious questions to answer. We’re almost into November and the situation is now much worse.

“The Government must reconsider its position and agree to a circuit-breaker and put the right support in place for jobs and businesses.

“The latest data from test and trace shows that a total of 126,065 tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to 21 October, a 23% increase on the previous increase and the highest weekly number since the programme began at the end of May.

“We now need a different approach and we need it immediately.

Ward says he will enter talks with the Government next week over introducing stricter measures in Birmingham.