Rutland has gone yet another day without a death, with the district recording three cases today.

The county has not recorded a death for around 7 weeks and it recorded no cases over the weekend.

However, case numbers in England's smallest county are starting to rise again- albeit from very low levels, which are less than a quarter of the England average.

The growing number of cases nationally is expected to force the prime minister Boris Johnson to announce a delay in the easing of lockdown restrictions, delaying the June 21 'Freedom Day' by four weeks.

This is despite practically every 'vulnerable' person vaccinated and the number of beds taken by Covid-19 patients hovering at around one in a hundred of every NHS hospital bed.

Today's 7-day case rate is 16 cases per 100,000 (based on 6 cases over the week), compared with a recent low of 2 cases on Friday 95 cases per 100,000), putting the county among the top 5 for the lowest rates in the country.

This is less than a quarter of the increasing England average of 67.1.

Today's three cases compares with none over the weekend, none last Monday and none on the Monday before.

Rutland has now recorded 1700 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic- about one case for every 25 residents. This compares with the England average of almost one-in-15.

The number of deaths remains at 62- about one for every 600 residents, which compares with the national average of one-in-500 residents.

Rutland's last recorded death was on the last Wednesday of April, the only death with Covid-19 recorded in Rutland during April and so far in May and June.

Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, South Kesteven has gone more than three weeks without a death, with the district recording four cases today.

The figures come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is at 6pm set to announce a delay of an easing of lockdown restrictions by four weeks in an address to the nation.

The delay to 'Freedom Day', set for June 21, comes amid growing concerns over the 'Indian variant'which is rising in case numbers, though the total number of deaths from Covid continues to remain low nationally.

Despite such rising case numbers, South Kesteven has not recorded a death with Covid-19 since the weekend of Saturday May 22-23.

Today's record of four cases compares with 14 recorded over the weekend, one last Monday and 8 the Monday before.

It means the case rate for the district have more than almost trebled since the 7-day infection rate reached a low of 8.4 cases per 100 last Tuesday.

The 7-day rate sharply increased from 14.7 on Friday to 23.9 cases per 100,000 yesterday, to 26 today, based on the district reporting 37 cases over 7 days.

South Kesteven now has a recorded 7709 cases since the start of the pandemic- about one for each 20 residents, which compares with the England average of one for each 15 residents.

The number of deaths remained at 267, as it has for three weeks. Before the last death, the district went almost six weeks without recording a fatality, making it two deaths in about the last two months in South Kesteven.

Today, the UK recorded three deaths overall and 7762 cases.

Nub News will be reporting on the Prime Minister's statement later this evening.