Residents are being urged to play their part this bank holiday, to ensure Rutland's coronavirus figures remain low.

Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, Rutland County Council's director of public health Mike Sandys is calling on people 'whether they are in the pub, the park or their home' to remember the basics and put social distancing top of their list.

Although latest figures show that rates in Rutland remains just below the national average, at 10 per 100,000 people (the national average is 10.9 per 100,000), the county will only keep them at this rate, or below, by observing the guidelines to control the virus.

Mike Sandys said: "We have all played our part in Rutland and this has helped us to keep figures low, but we need to ensure we are not complacent.

"Many of our neighbouring authorities are seeing their virus rates increase, and it is important that we continue to work hard to ensure we are still able to enjoy doing the things we love again, without additional restrictions a local lockdown would possibly impose.

"If you are meeting up with friends in the park, make sure you keep two metres apart and if you are visiting the pub, follow the guidance on socialising.

"If you are entering a shop wear a mask and respect social distancing, even if someone else is in the way of what you want.

"If people are coming round to your house, stick to the rules and if you are

travelling to work, adopt the same habits you would whilst you're in work.

"This may sound simple, but the key to keeping this under controls really is in all of our hands.

"And it still lies in maintaining social distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings where you need to."

Councillor Oliver Hemsley, Leader of Rutland County Council, adds: "Although our numbers are relatively small, Rutland is by no means immune to this virus.

"113 of our residents have been diagnosed with Covid through official testing and sadly, 13 people have died.

"We need to continue to consider how we protect ourselves and our neighbours in all we do.

"We all have a role to play and I would urge you to think about what you can do this weekend and going forward that we continue to keep each other safe."