Preston’s coronavirus infection rate has dropped below 100 for the first time in months.

It comes as the Lancashire Resilience Forum said a return to regional tiers or localised lockdowns ‘had not been completely ruled out’.

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New cases for Monday (22 March) showed 30 new cases recorded in Preston.

South Ribble recorded seven new cases.

Wyre saw 14 new cases, Chorley with 13, Fylde with eight cases and Ribble Valley with 10.

Infection rate for Preston has now dropped to 90.8 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to March 18, down from 141.1 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to March 11.

See the latest coronavirus cases and information near you

Data for the most recent four days (March 19-22) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

South Ribble’s rate is now 87.6, down from 120 for the same two date periods as Preston.

Wyre saw a slight increase to 50.9, up from 41.9 and Fylde is rising to 69.3, from 60.7.

Ribble Valley’s rate is 92, up from 85.4 and Chorley dropped to 55, down from 78.7.

Read more: Day of reflection to mark a year since the first national lockdown

Return to tiers not ruled out for Lancashire and PM warns about ‘third wave’

The leader of the Lancashire Resilience Forum said Covid infection rates remaining above the national average in the county could lead to a return to localised lockdowns.

Leader of the county council, Angie Ridgewell, who also chairs the Resilience Forum, said during a press briefing on the eve of the anniversary of the first lockdown: “The government has set out a national roadmap and in all of our conversations with the government, they have reiterated that it is their desire to continue to operate, as we go forward, on a national level.

“We don’t necessarily see that being an occurrence but, having recognised that, the government are not categorically ruling out moving to regional or other changes.

“That is not their preferred approach but, at this stage, it’s not been completely ruled out.

“I would like to reiterate to everyone: as we ease the roadmap it is not a license for everybody to go out hugging and being close to their friends.

“Even when we are able to socialise, we have to socialise at a distance.”

See the latest coronavirus vaccine stats and information near you

Read more: Windrush CIC battling to stop spread of Covid misinformation amongst Preston BAME community

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a warning about a third wave of Covid-19.

Mr Johnson said: we’re all facing the same pandemic, we all have the same problems”, adding: “If there is one thing that is worth stressing it’s that on the continent right now you can see sadly there is a third wave under way.

“People in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well.

“I expect that we will feel those effects in due course.

“That’s why we’re getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them out – these are international projects and they require international co-operation.”

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines