THE leader of Craven District Council says it is 'unclear' whether the district will face further coronavirus restrictions in the next few days.

Cllr Richard Foster says the rise in coronavirus cases is 'concerning' but it has yet to be confirmed whether the area is to be placed on the Government's watch list as an area of concern, and he is calling on people to 'pull together' to fight local restrictions.

“The rise in the number of cases in Craven is concerning and we understand this may mean the district could be placed on the Government’s ‘watch list’ as an area of concern; however, this has not been confirmed," he said.

“We also understand that the Government is looking at introducing new ‘tiers’ of restrictions nationally, and until those are announced it is not clear whether any further restrictions will be put in place in Craven over the next few days."

He added: “At present we would urge residents and businesses to stick firmly to the existing restrictions – follow the ‘rule of six’, use a face covering, self-isolate and get a test if you have any symptoms, and remember to social distance and wash your hands.

“I’d like to thank all residents and businesses who have made huge efforts over the last few months to restrict the spread of the virus. Our Environmental Health and Licensing officers will continue to work closely with businesses to support them.

“Selby and Scarborough were placed on the Government’s watch list a few weeks ago and it is encouraging that they seem to have stabilised their numbers of cases. I’m sure that if we all pull together in Craven we can do the same.”