Lancashire is braced for a county wide tightening of Covid restrictions as infection rates continue to rise.
Lancashire Resilience Forum says an announcement will be made later today (Friday September 18) setting out new rules to curb the spread of the virus.
South Ribble, Ribble Valley, Wyre, Fylde and Chorley could see the ‘Rule of Six’ dropped with further restrictions on mixing in homes and gardens imposed.
Preston has been under ‘local lockdown’ for six weeks, with residents banned from mixing socially with anyone outside their household or support bubble.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Resilience Forum said: “We are expecting an announcement later today by Government that the majority of Lancashire will be subject to new measures in order to bring down the rate of Covid-19 infections.
“Over the last two weeks, we have unfortunately seen significant increases in the number of cases in most towns and cities in our county.
“The Government reviews the situation weekly and can implement new measures if deemed necessary to control the spread.
“We are awaiting the full regulations and guidelines but will let you know what it means for you and our county as soon as we can.
“We all want to get back to normal, and we know this news will be difficult for people to hear. These decisions are not taken lightly and are in the interest of everyone’s health and safety.”
Blog Preston will bring updates throughout the day.
Are you worried about the rising rates of Covid-19? Do you think more restrictions are needed? Let us know in the comments section.