BABIES born in St Helens during the coronavirus pandemic will not be registered after birth.
Councils across Merseyside have stopped birth registrations after instructions from the Registrar General to help combat the spread of the virus.
St Helens, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and Halton councils all announced on their websites that registrations have stopped.
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It is a legal requirement for parents to register a birth and should be done 42 days after the baby is born.
This should be done at a register office in the district the child is born in and made in person either by both or one parent.
However, St Helens Council said birth registrations have been deferred until further notice.
People can still register a death, but it must now be done over the phone.
A spokesman for St Helens Council said: “Until further notice, we will be registering deaths only and this will be completed over the telephone.
“GP surgeries have been contacted and asked to send any paperwork to the register office electronically and to include the details of the next of kin.
“Any customers who have already collected a medical certificate of cause of death from a GP should write their name and phone number on the envelope, post it in the letterbox outside Wesley House and await contact from a registrar.
“Alternatively, please post it to us at Register Office, Wesley House, Corporation Street, St Helens, WA10 1HF.
“When a registrar contacts the next of kin to register a death, they will be able to purchase one certificate by card over the phone, which will enable access to funeral funds.”
“The certificate will be posted out to you.”
The council said further death certificates will be available to purchase at a later date.
The closure of register offices across Merseyside also means weddings and civil partnership ceremonies have also been cancelled.
“In line with the government’s advice on social distancing, we are contacting all couples and venues to advise them of the government’s decision to postpone all weddings,” the council spokesman said.
“We are not currently taking any appointments for Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership.”
The council said the current arrangements may change in the coming weeks. Any further changes will be updated on the council’s website.
The register office changes come after the UK went into lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people must stay at home and can only leave for basic necessities like food and medicine or to help a vulnerable person.
But he said you should do this “as infrequently as possible” and use food delivery services “where you can.”
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Members of the public are allowed to travel to and from work, but only if this is “absolutely necessary” and cannot be done from home.
People are allowed outside for one form of exercise a day, such as a run, walk or cycle.
All gatherings of more than two people in public are also banned, excluding people you live with.
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