COVID-19 - Walsall News Updates

Walsall Council’s Register Office will begin taking birth registration appointments again from Monday 13 July following the temporary suspension of the service due to COVID-19.
On Wednesday 25 March 2020 the government suspended the registration of all new births, which has led to a significant backlog in registrations across England and Wales. The restrictions were lifted on Monday 1 June 2020, subject to register offices meeting the government’s guidelines for social distancing. 

Adoption@Heart, the regional adoption agency for the Black Country has seen a significant rise in the number of enquiries from people wanting to find out more about adopting a child during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since lockdown began in March, more than 160 people have come forward to express their interest in adoption and the enquiries keep coming in every day.

From today (6 July 2020), the advice to people who are shielding has changed. Clinically vulnerable people will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to six people they do not live with, while maintaining social distancing.

Whilst the Government has announced that playgrounds can reopen from 4 July, we have made the decision not to reopen the 63 playgrounds across the borough and the 19 outdoor gyms and trim trails. This decision has not been made lightly. To be able to follow the guidance on how these areas can be safely reopened requires more resources than we currently have available. Services are continuing to try and find a solution but for now the areas will remain closed as we do not want to increase the risk of a spike in coronavirus cases.

With the Government gradually easing lockdown measures across the country, from Saturday 4 July we will start to see more pubs, restaurants and cafés open in Walsall.  Despite the easing of restrictions, a trip to a local bar or place to eat will be a very different experience from how it was before the coronavirus outbreak.