ALMOST 40 new coronavirus (Covid-19) cases have been officially recorded in Cumbria over the past week.

According to statistics gathered by Public Health England, 39 fresh cases were confirmed across the whole of Cumbria between September 21 and 27.

The majority of these cases have been recorded in the south of the county - with 16 on Walney, 7 in Hawcoat and 6 in both Grange-over-Sands and Arnside, Milnthorpe and Holme.

3,593 positive Covid cases in total have now been reported across the county.

According to the latest figures, there have been no new deaths today in either of the two health trusts serving the county.

Daily cases have gone up by 6,914 nationally this week - 280 up on the previous one. 5,589 of those cases have been recorded in England.

Infections are still considerably lower than they were at the peak of the pandemic when some experts say there were around 100,000 fresh cases daily.

Advice to restrict 'Covid bubble' social interactions to just two households has been extended across all of Cumbria this week. The advice had applied to Barrow alone before this week's public health announcement.

Meanwhile, Barrow and Furness was yesterday placed on the national watchlist for local authority areas experiencing the highest rates of infection.

Elsewhere in the north of England, the mayor of Middlesbrough has vowed his town will 'defy' tighter lockdown rules banning households from mixing indoors - due to come into effect from midnight.