HEALTH bosses have joined forces to send a clear message to the people of Lancashire - act now or face a local lockdown.

The directors of public health from Blackburn with Darwen, Dominic Harrison; Blackpool, Arif Rajpura and Lancashire County Council, Sakthi Karunanithi, were unified in their message to all across the county.

All of Lancashire is now an area of intervention following a continued rise in coronavirus cases. Measures have been in place since last Tuesday, stopping people from mixing with those they do not live with or who are not in their support bubble.

Further restrictions including the number of people at weddings and funerals, curfews of 10pm for bars and restaurants and the cancellation of spectators at sporting events have also been reinforced in a bid to stop the spread.

However bosses are now warning people to pay heed to the restrictions, or face the prospect of a full lockdown again.

Professor Harrison said: “Despite some of the longest running special control measures in place across parts of Lancashire, confirmed cases continue to rise.

“These rising rates risk not only increased hospitalisations and deaths but also our continued economic and social wellbeing.

“If the rates continue on their current trajectory, we will have to take further control measures to ensure that enough of the workforce is able to be at work in key infrastructure services such as social care the NHS, police and essential food production and distribution services.

“We need to stick closely to the control measures we currently have in place if we are to avoid the necessity of further measures.”

Cases have risen significantly across the county, with some Lancashire towns ranking amongst the highest cases per 100,000 in the UK. Hospital admissions are also starting to increase steadily. Over 110 people are currently in Lancashire’s hospitals with Covid-19 and 20 of those are in intensive care.

Dr Karunanithi added: “The restrictions in place now may seem draconian but they are far from a true lockdown scenario. We’re simply asking people to avoid mixing beyond their own households and be responsible. If we all take small steps to achieve that, we will get the numbers down in time.

“We are at a critical stage in which the whole of Lancashire is in the same position and we really all need to come together and do it for our county. We should all take some comfort in knowing that we are in the same boat and we’re working towards a shared goal. Let’s do it for our children, for Diwali, Christmas, birthdays, weddings, religious events, holidays and everything else we haven’t been able to fully enjoy since March.”

Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health for Blackpool Council, said: “As well as the additional restrictions, it is vital that we all remember and continue to implement the basics. We should all be washing our hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds, keeping our distance from others and wearing face coverings in public spaces.