Stick to the rules or face new restrictions, MP warns
Ministers have been urged not to impose tougher coronavirus restrictions in the West Midlands until existing measures have had chance to take effect.
The region is under threat of a new local lockdown, where people from different households would be banned from mixing in indoor settings and in private homes or gardens.
Measures will not be announced this week after a fall in infection rates across parts of the region. However Public Health England is said to be keeping a close eye on case numbers.
Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Solihull have all had extra restrictions imposed in recent weeks.
Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, said it was "too early" to see if the measures were having a positive impact, but that there were "early signs are of an encouraging drop in the infection rate".
"I am very grateful to members of the public, the vast majority of whom are trying to do the right thing," he said.
"We don’t want even more stringent measures being brought in if we can avoid it because that would make life even more difficult locally.
"If we stick to the rules in place we have more chance of getting on top of this second wave of the virus."
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street spoke with Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier this week outlining concerns over the prospect of tougher restrictions.
He said: "Our figures, although high, are not at the level seen elsewhere in the North where stricter actions are being taken."
He also warned there was a danger of "confusing the public by introducing too many measures too close together".
Local leaders are understood to have accepted that if stricter measures were highly likely in the coming weeks should the situation deteriorate.
In the seven days to September 28 there were 146 Covid cases in Wolverhampton, a rate of 55.7 per 100,000.
In Walsall, the rate over the same period was 56.8 per 100,000, while it was 108.8 in Birmingham, 85.2 in Sandwell and 44.3 in Dudley.
