THE director of Public Health for Worcestershire has said the whole county will face tougher lockdown restrictions - rather than specific districts - if coronavirus cases continue to rise.

Dr Kathryn Cobain said placing one district only into the 'high' tier two alert level would not prevent the virus from spreading across the rest of the county.

She said: "For now, Worcestershire is at level one, medium risk. Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest may currently have the higher rates of infection, but that does not mean everywhere else in the county is immune to the spread of the virus.

"It is also not the case that Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest’s infection rates would be the cause of all the county going to tier two.

"Cases are going up countywide, and it is that fact which would lead the entire county into tighter restrictions."

Worcestershire is currently at 'medium' risk of Covid-19 under the government’s three-tier alert system, which means residents must follow the 'rule of six' and obide by 10pm closing times for pubs and restaurants.

The county council and Public Health leaders are in regular conversations with the government about Covid-19 cases and trends in the local area.

The situation in Worcestershire is being assessed daily, and if the number of cases continue to rise, Public Health bosses warn the government may choose to raise the alert level.

While Bromsgrove remains at the top of the list for the highest number of positive cases in the county, followed by Wyre Forest, health officials say the situation is "fluid" and "changes rapidly".

Worcestershire as a whole is still seeing rising Covid rates of infection.

Dr Cobain added: "I would remind everyone that we can keep our infection rates low, our actions can prevent the need for further restrictions. It’s in our hands.”