The 7-day case rate for Rutland has dropped today after rising strongly over the weekend.

The move comes as just six people were tested positive today, compared with 29 over the weekend.

The county's 7-day infection rate remains well below the national average and Rutland hasn't recorded a death with Covid-19 since April.

The six positive tests in the county compares with ten last Monday and none the Monday before.

This gives Rutland a 7-day infection rate of 162.8 cases per 100,000, which compares with 167.8 yesterday 102.7 last Monday and the England average of 223.8.

However, there has been a large increase in testing recently, reaching almost 1.3 million yesterday and almost 7.2 million over the week.

England's 7-day case rate has crept up in recent weeks, whilst in Rutland it has fluctuated at low levels, at one stage recently amongst the lowest in the country, before increasing strongly in recent weeks.

Rutland has now recorded 1857 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 65, the same as yesterday- 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, June and July.

Meanwhile in Lincolnshire, the 7-day case rate for South Kesteven has further increased with a whopping 31 'cases' recorded in the district today.

However, no more deaths were recorded and the 7-day infection rate is well below half the England average.

Today's 31 positive test results in South Kesteven follow the 44 recorded over the weekend and 12 last Monday and 8 the Monday before that.

The 7-day infection rate now stands at 93.4 cases per 100,000 population- the highest since April. But the district's rate is less than half the England average of 223.8 cases per 100,000.

This seven day rate compares with 79.3 yesterday. 56.2 on Friday, 38.6 last Monday, and 40.7 cases per 100,000 the Monday before.

The England average 7-day rate has steadily risen in recent weeks, while the South Kesteven figure has tended to fluctuate at a much reduced level before creeping upwards.

No deaths were recorded again and the number since the start of the pandemic remains at 270. The last fatality in the district was six weeks ago and the last before that, was also six weeks prior.

Overall, across Greater Lincolnshire, there have been 463 cases of coronavirus confirmed on Monday, 75% higher than last week's figure of 264 cases, and the highest daily count since early January.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Monday reported 215 new cases in Lincolnshire, 182 in North East Lincolnshire and 66 in North Lincolnshire.

Nationally, cases increased by 27,334 to 4,930,534 while deaths rose by nine to 128,231.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a press conference on Monday evening in which he will lay out the next easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

He is expected to confirm that from July 19 there will be an end to compulsory face masks, one-metre plus social distancing and QR code sign-ins at restaurants among other measures.

The last stage of lockdown lifting was due to take place last month but was delayed after an increase in cases.

The BBC said the PM was not expected to address self isolation, travel restrictions or the rules in schools.

Unions have criticised the plans to make face coverings voluntary, saying there will be an increased risk to public transport drivers and shop workers.

Earlier today, National Medical Director of NHS England Professor Stephen Powis told Sky News that hospital admissions now were nearly 10 times less than mid-December, despite a sharp increase in case numbers.