Preston has seen another week-on-week rise in its coronavirus infection rate in the latest figures.
AdvertisementThe city and the rest of Lancashire awaits to see whether there will be any movement on the tier-3 restrictions currently imposed when the review date on Wednesday (16 December) is comes around.
New coronavirus cases recorded in Preston for Monday (14 December) were 41.
South Ribble saw 24 new cases for the same day.
Wyre had just eight new cases, Fylde had seven and Ribble Valley nine.
Preston’s Covid-19 infection rate is now 213.8 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to December 10, up from 196.3 for the seven days to December 3.
See the latest coronavirus stats and information for where you live
South Ribble’s coronavirus rate has also increased, up to 186.8 from 154.3 for the same date ranges.
Wyre’s rate is also up slightly at 122.2, from 112.4.
Fylde’s rate is static week-on-week at 107.7.
Ribble Valley saw a week-on-week infection rate rise to 197.1, from 139.6.
Read more: See how Preston and South Ribble’s Covid-19 infection rates have changed since late October
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced an earlier than planned move into tier-3 for London, along with parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.
The number of coronavirus cases has increased rapidly in recent days across the capital and also in surrounding counties.
Mr Hancock said: “We know from experience that the best thing to do in the face of this virus is to act fast, not to wait to see its growth continue – and we do not rule out further action.”
Read more: Mass coronavirus testing due to begin this week in Lancashire
MPs were also told during Mr Hancock’s Commons statement there was a ‘new variant’ of coronavirus spreading.
He said: “Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants.
“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.
“I must stress at this point that there is currently nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious disease and the latest clinical advice is that it’s highly unlikely that this mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine, but it shows we’ve got to be vigilant and follow the rules and everyone needs to take personal responsibility not to spread this virus.”
You can see the full press conference from Monday evening led by the Health secretary below
Preston and Lancashire are expected to discover on Wednesday whether there will be any change in the restrictions for the county and city.
LancsLive is reporting Lancashire political leaders are ‘in the dark’ over any potential decision.
What do you think will happen with Lancashire’s tiers decision? Let us know in the comments below