The UK’s daily number of new coronavirus cases has topped 1,000 for the first time in more than a month.
The government reported 1,062 more people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the 24-hour period leading up to Sunday morning.
This is the largest daily increase since late June.
It was also more than 300 higher than the number of new infections reported on Saturday, which stood at 758.
In total, there have been 310,825 confirmed coronavirus infections in the UK to date, according to government data.
The UK government said a total of 46,574 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the country as of Saturday afternoon.
This was an increase of eight from the day before.
However,separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 56,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Some parts of the UK have recently faced tighter restrictions compared to the rest of the country as part of efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus following a spike in local cases.
Preston has been added to the areas where households are banned from mixing in homes and gardens due to a rise in Covid-19 infections. The restrictions for the city were announced on Friday and came into force that midnight.
Greater Manchester, as well as parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire, were hit with the same rules the week before.
Similar restrictions also apply to Leicester, which saw the first so-called “local lockdown” imposed in late June.
Government guidance tells residents in these affected areas they should not socialise with people they do not live with in any indoor public venue.
Additional reporting by agencies
