Just two cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Rutland today, giving the district its lowest 7-day infection rate in months.

In the past week, 7 cases have been officially recorded, compared with 12 in the week to last Wednesday and 21 in the week before that.

The 7-day infection rate is now 17.5 cases per 100,000, which compares to the England average of 24.8.

This also compares with earlier this ear when spikes associated with outbreaks at HMP Stocken pushed the rate into the high 400s.

In total, Rutland has reported 1649 cases, about one for every 25 residents.

As increasingly typical now, no deaths were recorded today, with the last death from someone dying in Rutland with Covid-19 being 4 weeks ago.

The grand total of 61 since the start of the pandemic amounts to about one for every 700 residents, which compares to the England average of one for every 500 residents.

Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, a general trend of declining case numbers in South Kesteven has seen the district's case rate also at its lowest in months.

The past week has seen just 50 cases recorded according to official government figures, about a tenth of the peak earlier this year.

This gives the district a 7-day rate of 35.1 cases per 100,000, which compares with the England average of 24.8, which has avoided the fluctuations South Kesteven has experienced.

The district recorded 3 cases today, compared with 9 last Wednesday, and 14 the Wednesday before that.

Altogether, South Kesteven has recorded 7511 cases, about one for every 20 residents.

Again, no deaths were recorded in the district today, with the last death being recorded last Tuesday, which was the first Covid-linked fatality in more than 3 weeks.

The total of 266 since the start of the pandemic means that around one-in-600 South Kesteven residents will have died withing 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

A general trend of declining case numbers in South Kesteven has seen the district's case rate at its lowest in months.

The past week has seen just 50 cases recorded according to official government figures, about a tenth of the peak earlier this year.

This gives the district a 7-day rate of 35.1 cases per 100,000, which compares with the England average of 24.8, which has avoided the fluctuations South Kesteven has experienced.

The district recorded 3 cases today, compared with 9 last Wednesday, and 14 the Wednesday before that.

Altogether, South Kesteven has recorded 7511 cases, about one for every 20 residents.

Again, no deaths were recorded today , with the last death being recorded last Tuesday, which was the first Covid-linked fatality in more than 3 weeks.

The total of 266 since the start of the pandemic means that around one-in-600 South Kesteven residents will have died withing 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

Overall, there have been 51 new coronavirus cases and two COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday — up from 41 cases and no deaths this time last week.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard recorded 30 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and two in North East Lincolnshire.

On Wednesday, two deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

On Wednesday, national cases increased by 2,396 to 4,395,703, while deaths rose by 22 to 127,327.

In national news, at least 100 fake coronavirus test certificates are used by UK arrivals every day, it has been revealed.

Border officials are forced to take travellers' COVID test paperwork at "face value" and just accept results are negative – because they are often written in a foreign language, it has been revealed.

Lucy Moreton, professional officer for the Immigration Services Union (ISU), said travellers' documents in anything other than English often simply had to be "taken on trust".

Unemployment in the UK fell for a second month in February despite the COVID-19 lockdown, as employers stepped up preparations for the easing of restrictions this spring.

The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate fell to 4.9% in the three months to February, representing about 1.7 million people, in a modest improvement from 5% in the three months to January.

4,395,703 UK cases, 127,327 deaths