Cumbria's director of public health has spent months encouraging people to take up the offer of a Covid-19 vaccine - and today he received his first jab.

Colin Cox, who lives across the Scottish border, was vaccinated in Canonbie.

He said: “Vaccination is absolutely critical to getting us out of this pandemic, particularly as we are now seeing evidence of the spread of new variants.

"The next step of easing lockdown is also reliant on the continued success of the vaccination programme, so it’s crucial for people to get vaccinated in order to give government the confidence to take that next step in June."

Latest data for Cumbria shows 315,000 people have received their first vaccine dose, with 185,000 receiving both doses.

Image source, Cumbria County Council

Cumbria's public health director has moved to reassure people about the spread of the Indian variant of Covid-19, as he revealed "fewer than five" cases had been diagnosed in the county.

Colin Cox said the cases were identified close to Lancashire, which has seen a spike in infections since mid-April.

"At this stage we're not proposing to do any other forms of lockdowns or mass testing or anything along those lines," he said.

"We are managing and containing it within our usual processes at the moment."

Across Cumbria more than 300,000 people have been vaccinated with more than half of those receiving both doses.

Currently no-one is being treated for Covid at hospitals in the north of Cumbria.

In the south, the numbers of people receiving hospital treatment is "very,very low", Mr Cox added.

Image source, Getty Images

• Temperature at 3,000ft: Around 2C to 3C (36F to 37F) in the morning. Rising in the afternoon to around 4C to 6C (39F to 43F)
• Winds: Moderate westerly winds, with gusts up to 20mph to 25mph.
• Cloud: Patchy cloud in the morning, with bases above the summits. Cloud will mostly clear in the afternoon to leave clear skies.
• Weather: In the morning, there will be patchy cloud with a few showers. Turning drier in the afternoon with spells of sunshine.
• Visibility: Excellent.
• UV levels: Moderate.

The Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston as well as pubs and cafes welcomed tourists back.

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Cumbria County Council said the situation is being monitored and health advice remains the same.

BBC Radio Leeds

For many people in West Yorkshire, the further easing of Covid restrictions today has meant meeting friends and family they've not seen for months.

But for David Spence and John Todhunter, it's been particularly special as they've not seen each other since 1967.

John, who lives in Upton, told BBC Radio Leeds: "We were both at school when we knew each other, and we left school, both at 15, and went on with our lives."

The men, who grew up in Carlisle but now live in Yorkshire, found each other on Facebook during lockdown and discovered they still get on after more than 50 years.

David, from Robin Hood, said the easing of restrictions gave them a chance to finally meet up: "We were great friends at school, and here we are. It's been a long one this second lockdown, and it's great to have this all back again, the fact that we're nearly there, there's light at the end of the tunnel."

For John, re-connecting with his old school friend has made a big difference: "It's amazing, actually. I can't describe how I felt when I saw David on Facebook. It does mean a lot, it's fantastic."

But he says they didn't go quite as far as hugging - just yet: "We're two modern men. We fist- bumped!"

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John Bowness
BBC Radio Cumbria reporter

Pubs are now allowed to serve indoor drinks following the easing of lockdown restrictions in England and for one landlord it's not a moment too soon.

Matt Bailes, who runs the Stag Inn at Dufton on the edge of the Pennines, said a marquee in place for outdoor drinkers over recent weeks "decided it wanted to live next door" and was blown 50ft (15m) by heavy winds on Saturday 8 May.

Reflecting on the rules now in place, he added: "It's been a long journey. It's hopefully going to be the start be the start of a really good summer.

"It's going to be great - just getting the atmosphere back and the buzz at the bar, having everyone sitting around chatting.

"Tables will be well spaced, drinkers will have to be seated and anyone who gets up from their chair will need to put a mask on. As long as everyone adheres to the guidelines it should be fairly manageable.

"We've got everything in place, such as sanitisers, and the staff know the rules so it's a matter of getting the doors open and the beer flowing."

• Temperature at 3,000ft: Around 4C to 6C (39F to 43F).
• Winds: Mostly gentle northwesterly winds, but will strengthen to moderate in the evening, with gusts up to 25mph to 30mph.
• Cloud: Patchy cloud for much of the day, with bases around 1,000ft to 2,000ft (300m to 600m).
• Weather: Scattered showers through the day, these heavy at times in the afternoon. Some late sunny spells are possible.
• Visibility: Poor in any showers or above cloud bases. Good otherwise.
• UV levels: Low to moderate.

Bringing you the latest news, travel and weather from across Cumbria from Monday 17 May to Friday 21 May 2021

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There are no confirmed cases of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19 in Cumbria, the county's public health director says.

With the number of cases rising fast in neighbouring Lancashire and Greater Manchester, Colin Cox said: "There's been nothing confirmed in Cumbria so far."

However, he said it is a concern and the situation is being continually monitored: "The variant is spreading quickly and not just in Indian communities, while originally it was associated with people returning from India from family visits and things like that.

"It's now certainly taking a hold on parts of Lancashire and other parts of north-west England and outside those communities as well."

The government has said second vaccine doses could be brought forward and local restrictions introduced to help tackle the variant in the worst-affected areas.

"It's close to us but I wouldn't get too panicked about it, for most people in Cumbria it's something for people like myself to keep an eye on," Mr Cox added.

• Temperature at 3,000ft: Around 2C to 3C (36F to 37F) in the morning, but increasing to 4C to 5C (39F to 41F) later in the afternoon.
• Winds: Variable and light winds through the morning, but turning southeasterly and gentle or moderate later in the day, with gusts reaching up to 20mph to 25mph.
• Cloud: Largely overcast, but with a few sunny periods later in the afternoon. Cloud bases around 1,000ft to 2,000ft (300m to 600m) at times in the morning, but generally above summits.
• Weather: Mostly cloudy today with just the odd shower at times. A few spells of sunshine developing into the late afternoon.
• Visibility: Generally good, although poor above the cloud bases in the morning, and under any showers.
• UV levels: Low.

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