WITH Blackburn having overtaken Leicester for the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, it is more important than ever to follow the five-point guide issued to help limit the spread of the virus.

The measures, specific to Blackburn with Darwen, are aimed at helping avoid a local lockdown by getting a grip on the rise in cases of the virus.

People are being reminded of director of public health Dominic Harrison's recommendations that everyone in the borough should be following:

1. A limit of two people from the same household allowed to visit another household

Residents should limit the numbers of people meeting indoors to people who live in the house plus only two members from a second household at any one time.

2. Wearing cloth face coverings in all enclosed public spaces

All residents will be strongly recommended to wear a cloth face covering (or non-surgical mask) in all enclosed public spaces. This means in all shops, workplaces, libraries, museums, health centres, hair and beauty salons etc. There are NHS teams stationed on Johnson Street outside the fruit and veg shop from 11am-2pm and outside the community centre in Little Harwood from 3pm-6pm to provide advice about this.

3. Greeting and embracing

Rather than give handshakes or a hug, people should only bump elbows with anyone outside of their immediate family.

4. Support for small shops

The council are stepping up their public protection advice and support to small shops across the borough to ensure that measures such as wearing face coverings, social distancing, good hygiene practice and increased ventilation are being followed to help reduce the risk of virus spread in these businesses.

5. Testing

The council are doing more targeted testing this week, with the arrival of a mobile testing unit at Witton Park Academy in addition to the testing facility at Royal Blackburn Hospital. You don’t need to have symptoms to be tested – this will help with case finding, identifying people who have no symptoms but who carry the virus.

Mr Harrison said: “We know that people have been worried by the release of figures that show an increase in coronavirus cases in Blackburn with Darwen, and don’t want a second lockdown to be introduced.

“These steps will help and we are appealing to everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to follow them to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“If we don’t, a local lockdown, like in Leicester, becomes a very real possibility.”