People need to ‘stick to new rules’ says county health boss as coronavirus R rate rises

Government data now estimates the R value – the rate at which the disease spreads – is between 1.0 and 1.2.

The value represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to.

Assistant director of public health at Lincolnshire County Council Tony McGinty said: “This is clearly a concern and we should all make sure we stick to the new rules which are coming into place from Monday to try and damp down the increase in numbers we are seeing

“It’s important everyone continues to follow the guidance on social distancing, wearing face coverings in shops and washing hands regularly.”

Greater Lincolnshire has recently seen a surge in cases and as of Thursday’s government figures there had been  187 cases in our region in the since September 1, compared to 204 for the whole month of August.

How the new rules work:

The new limit of six people will apply to social gatherings both indoors and outdoors and to all ages.

The new law will replace previous measures which banned more than 30 people gathering or more than two households from mixing.

It also limits how many people can attend venues such as pubs, restaurants, shops and other venues to that number.

However, there are some exceptions, for example households or support bubbles larger than six, work and education, weddings and funerals and team sports.

Those who break the rules can be fined from £100 to £3,200.