MANY in Craven will be relieved that the district been placed 'medium risk' for coronavirus, says the leader of Craven District Council.

“We know many residents and businesses will be relieved that North Yorkshire, including Craven, has been placed in Tier One, the ‘medium risk’ tier", said Cllr Richard Foster.

"This means the national restrictions such as the ‘rule of six’ and 10pm closing for pubs and restaurants remain in place, but no further restrictions are being placed on us at this time."

He added: “However, we know the numbers of Covid-19 cases are still too high in Craven and there is a real danger we will be placed under further restrictions if those numbers continue to rise.

“So I would urge everybody to work together to get the transmission rate down. That means maintaining social distancing, hand washing, wearing face coverings indoors, and in crowded outdoor areas.

"If you test positive for Covid-19, or are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, you must self-isolate.

"If you get any symptoms, you must self-isolate and get a test. If we all play our part, we may be able to avoid further restrictions on our lives and livelihoods.”

Yesterday, the Prime Minister set out how the government would 'further simplify and standardise' local rules by introducing a three tiered system of local Covid Alert Levels in England - medium, high and very high.

Last week, the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum said it expected Craven to be put into the then watch list as an 'area of concern' following an increase in numbers of new Covid-19 cases, putting Craven at the highest in North Yorkshire.