England's second city tightens restrictions as virus spikes

LONDON (AP) — Households in England's second city, Birmingham, are being urged to stop socializing with others from Friday as part of a dramatic tightening of coronavirus restrictions in the wake of a sharp spike in new confirmed cases.

While a study Friday revealed that the epidemic is doubling every seven to eight days in England, the mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, announced the tougher restrictions on household mixing in Birmingham, and the nearby boroughs of Solihull and Sandwell.

Though the ban formally comes into effect on Tuesday, Street advised affected residents "to avoid household mixing before then as it has been identified as one of the drivers of transmission.”

Street said the restrictions don't apply to schools, workplaces or transportation.

“It is about household mixing,” he said.

The move, which affects more than 1 million people, is the latest hardening of restrictions following a recent spike in cases across the U.K, particularly among young adults.

Earlier this week, the British government, which has the sole responsibility for public health matters in England, said social gatherings will be limited to six people from Monday both indoors and outdoors and that the new rules will be policed more stringently. The other nations of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have also announced similar restrictions on gatherings.

Over the past week, the number of confirmed cases in the U.K. has spiked dramatically. The daily increase has been running at near 3,000 for much of this week, around double the number the previous week.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, which advises the government on virus-related matters, said the virus' transmission rate was likely increasing across the whole of the U.K. It said the...