As the Government has announced that the whole of Cumbria will be placed under Tier 2 restrictions from next week, the latest coronavirus figures from the county have been released.

While the easing of lockdown restrictions is welcomed, Cumbrians are being urged not to forget the basic ways they can help keep themselves safe and avoid spreading infection – maintain social distancing, wear a face covering, and wash hands regularly.

The announcement today comes as confirmed data for the week ending November, 20 shows that there were 860 new cases of coronavirus recorded in Cumbria - a 199 decrease from the previous week.

For the fifth week in a row Carlisle has had the greatest number of new cases, with 302 new cases, followed by South Lakeland, with 244 new cases.

Carlisle and South Lakeland also had the highest rates of new cases, 278 and 232 new cases per 100,000 people respectively.

Figures for Carlisle and South Lakeland are significantly affected by large outbreaks at Sedbergh School and Richard Rose Central Academy. These outbreaks resulted in 270 positive cases, the majority of which are reported in this week’s figures.

Numbers of new cases in Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland and Eden decreased from the previous week, with all four of these districts having rates below the national and regional averages.

The number of new patients admitted with Covid-19 in both North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB) decreased slightly from the previous week.

The average number of patients with Covid-19 in beds in NCIC was unchanged from the previous week, while the average number of patients with COVID-19 in beds in UHMB decreased slightly from the previous week.

Councillor Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said: “Although there has been no consultation with Council Leaders this time round, at least we now know that the whole County is going to be in the new, tougher Tier 2. This will not be easy, especially as it is likely that restrictions will continue until well into next year, but I would urge everyone to follow the new rules in order to slow the spread of the virus, and reduce the pressure on our health and social care services.”