Covid-19: Isles of Scilly confirms new cases

The islands' 2,000-strong population had been under England's most lenient Covid restrictions

New cases of coronavirus have been confirmed on the Isles of Scilly, the islands' council has said.

The Council of the Isles of Scilly said "fewer than three cases" had been confirmed within the last seven days.

They are the first confirmed cases on Scilly, 28 miles (45km) off the coast of Cornwall, since September.

The council said it was not providing exact numbers or "further information relating to timing or location" to "protect individuals' identities".

It added that those affected were self-isolating and "being supported by our public health and local teams".

The council said: "We understand that this announcement will cause concern and may come as a shock.

"However, our public health team are doing everything they can to minimise the risk of further infection."

The islands, with a population of about 2,200, had been the only place under England's tier one rules until the current lockdown came into force.

People living on the islands recently raised concerns that they feared "selfish people" had been travelling there to escape stricter restrictions elsewhere in the UK.

The islands' council said at the end of 2020 it "strongly" urged anyone "planning to travel to the islands to reconsider, in light of what bringing the virus to the islands could mean for our community, particularly at this time of year".

Local police tweeted about turning away five people on Christmas Eve after they travelled from tier four regions for a holiday.

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