Scarborough borough's Covid-19 positive cases pass 900, but infection rate continues to fall

The new infections took the borough’s total since the start of the pandemic to more than 900, with 912 cases confirmed.

However, Scarborough’s seven-day infection rate has dropped to 69 per 100,000 people.

The borough, which was placed on Public Health England’s coronavirus Area of Concern list a month ago, now has the lowest rate in North Yorkshire and is well below the average for England which stood at 125 on Saturday.

The borough has had 75 new cases in the last seven days compared to 214 in Harrogate.

The news on the falling infection rate comes as Boris Johnson prepares to unveil a new three-tier system for local lockdowns.

The Prime Minister will today reveal the new system with reports that he will also hand more powers to local councils to carry out track and trace duties.

The level of infection that would determine which category an area would be placed into has not yet been released.

Tier 1 of the new rules is likely to mirror national restrictions with the rule of six, 10pm pub curfew and social distancing.

Tier 2 could add a ban on social gatherings indoors.

Tier 3, the most serious of the tiers, could include the closure of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and leisure centres. Bans on non-essential travel and a return to shielding have also been mooted.

The Prime Minister will address the House of Commons this afternoon to set out his plans before a televised address to the nation at 6pm.

The new tiered system is likely to come into effect on Wednesday.