Preston’s coronavirus infection rate sees major drop as government unveils emergency sports funding package

Recent mural on the side of the Northern Way pub Pic: 70023venus2009

Preston’s coronavirus infection rate has dropped below the 400 cases per 100,000 mark.

The city has seen a sharp drop in the Covid-19 infection rate based on latest figures from the Press Association – who analyse the Public Health England data.

New cases recorded for Thursday (19 November) were 38 in Preston.

The infection rate is now 365.4 cases per 100,000 people, for the seven days to November 15, down from 481 for the seven days to November 8.

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South Ribble continues a decline too as the borough saw 36 new cases on Thursday.

The borough’s infection rate is now 239.2 per 100,000, down from 256.3 – for the same date period as Preston.

Elsewhere in neighbouring authorities

Fylde saw the rate continue to rise 300.8, up from 262.4
Ribble Valley was down to 290.7 from 399.1
Wyre was down from 306.9 to 212.3

So far there have been 159 Covid-19 related deaths in Preston, registered up to 30 October.

South Ribble has seen 103 deaths, Wyre 145, Fylde 111 and 42 in the Ribble Valley.

Sports clubs and leagues get emergency funding

The government has announced their Sports Winter Survival Package with £300m of funds.

Sports clubs have been hit hard by the pandemic with no crowds allowed to come and watch matches.

Funding has been allocated to Rugby Union, horseracing, football – but not Premier League or the EFL, rugby league, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing.

Culture, media and sport minister Oliver Dowden said: “This is a very specific thing – sports, and mainly winter sports, were expecting to have fans in stadiums and didn’t, we said we’d help them out.”