NEIGHBOURING AUTHORITIES BOTH MAKE TOP 50

[H2]FACE COVERINGS MANDATORY FROM TOMORROW WHILE WALK-IN TESTING CENTRES BASED ON 'HOW EASILY PEOPLE COULD PUSH A BUGGY TO ONE' SET FOR THE AUTUMN[H2]

ATHERSTONE and neighbours Nuneaton and Bedworth find themselves both in the top 50 of a league table of new cases of deadly Covid-19.

North Warwickshire sits just below its bordering authority in 50th spot in the updated rolling seven-day rate for every borough and district council in England. A week ago the district proudly sat in bottom position of new infections for every one of 316 local authorities in the country – having registered no rate of case per 100,000 population. But the figures, for the seven days up to July 20, has seen the borough leapfrog 266 places in the list with a new case rate of 9.3 per 100,000 population – up- from 1.5. Neighbours Nuneaton and Bedworth – consistently a hot spot for the virus with a greater case rate per 100,000 population than any of eight local authorities it borders – has seen its new case rate increase from 10.1 to 10.9 in the last week. It now sits in 46th place in the Public Health England stats. The updated figures, which come hours before face coverings in shops and supermarkets is made mandatory in England, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two). The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 population.

League leader is now Blackburn with Darwen, where the rate has jumped from 49.7 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to July 13 to 81.9 in the seven days to July 20 – with 122 new cases recorded.

Second on the list is still Leicester, where the rate has gone down from 102.5 to 65.6, and where 233 new cases have been recorded.

Other areas reporting notable week-on-week jumps include Oadby and Wigston (up from 38.6 to 59.6, with 34 new cases recorded in the seven days to July 18) and Rochdale (up from 30.9 to 49.1, with 36 new cases).

Other authorities' results surround North Warwickshire are below – showing the place in the table, this week's figure showing the rate of new cases in the seven days to July 20, followed by the equivalent figure for the previous seven days to July 13 in brackets.

35th Birmingham 12.9 (7.0)

46th Nuneaton and Bedworth 10.9 (10.1)

50th North Warwickshire 9.3 (1.5)

63rd Coventry 7.4 (2.5)

74th Hinckley and Bosworth 6.2 (4.4)

81st North West Leicestershire 5.9 (6.9)

99th Solihull 5.1 (7.9)

106th Lichfield 4.8 (3.8)

184th Tamworth 2.6 (3.0)

Three weeks ago Public Health England changes in reporting confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Atherstone and district have seen the totals leap by two thirds overnight – going from 217 to 330. Today's figures in 339 – up eight from a week ago.

Under the new figures Atherstone and district have now reported 339 Covid-19 cases at the second highest rate per 100,000 population of any of its neighbouring Midland authorities including Birmingham and Coventry.

Its rate is now 522.7 per 100,000 population (previously 334.6) compared with Nuneaton and Bedworth's 866 cases at 671.8 per 100,000 and North West Leicestershire 326 cases at 319.2 per 100,000 population.

Warwickshire's total of confirmed cases has risen 27 in a week and now stands at 2,538 with a rate of 444.5 per 100,000.

UK cases rose by 769 in the last 24 hours to 297,146.

Recorded deaths went up by 53 to 45,554. But the real number of fatalities involving the virus in the UK has passed 55,000, according to the latest available data.

On a global note, confirmed cases have now passed the 15 million mark – up half a million in 48 hours – to 15,547,009 with fatalities at 633,141.

Some 9,450,078 people have recovered. From this Friday, July 24, townsfolk will need to wear a face mask in these following places:

• Shops;

• Supermarkets;

• Shopping centres;

• Transport hubs such as train stations and terminals, airports, ports, bus and coach stations and terminals;

• Cafes and when buying takeaway food;

• Banks and building societies; and

• Post office.

Face coverings will be mandatory and under the new rules, people will need to have their nose and mouth covered – or face a fine of up to £100.

People with certain disabilities will be exempt.

This comes after rules requiring people to wear face coverings on public transport became mandatory last month.

Initially many experts and authorities, including the World Health Organisation, suggested face coverings were not effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19 but are now recommending wearing them in indoor spaces.

Meanwhile, people living in large town should be within a 30-minute walk of a Covid-19 testing site by the end of October as the Government prepares for a possible surge in winter cases.

At least a few hundred walk-in testing centres are to be established based on how easily people could push a buggy to one.

Those heading the NHS Test and Trace programme are also recruiting more people to work in local health protection teams as the system scales up to deal with any rise in cases in the colder months.

Experts including England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty have warned of a potential second wave of Covid-19 cases in the winter.

Prof Whitty told MPs on Tuesday: "A surge in winter is a really serious concern looking forward and where I spend most of my thinking time."

People tend to stay indoors more in the colder months, where the virus transmits more easily, and ventilation is reduced as they keep their doors and windows closed.

The news comes as figures show NHS Test and Trace is failing to reach adequate numbers of people who may be ill in places with the highest infection rates.

The Government has pledged to publish regional data but has not done so yet.