THE county’s most senior public health official has warned people in the county not to be tempted to relax their vigilance in the weeks ahead.

Colin Cox, Cumbria's director of public health, said the county’s Covid-19 death rate - after an initially rapid rise in hospitals which peaked in early April - was continuing to decline.

There is also evidence that the situation in Cumbria’s care homes has improved, he said.

But as experts continued to warn about the worrying possibility of second wave of infections and deaths, Mr Cox said "the virus is still out there, and circulating".

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust, which is in charge of Furness General Hospital, has had 157 fatalities but none reported on five consecutive days.

Whether the impact of the virus will continue to lessen will depend on the degree to which people stick with the necessary social distancing and hygiene measures, said Mr Cox.

“If people relax and forget that then it could come back," he said.

"But I think the majority of people are still supporting the lockdown measures.”

Mr Cox said he was pleased to see that fears of a flood of visitors descending on the Lake District over the weekend were thankfully not realised.

A further 122 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in England over the past 24 hours, with 24 of those fatalities reported in the North West.

Across Cumbria, it is estimated there have been 167 coronavirus deaths in care homes.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, said the UK "may have to learn to live" with the virus for months, if not "several years".

Meanwhile, Italy recorded its lowest daily death toll since March 9 - with 99 deaths from coronavirus reported on Monday. Spain too has its lowest in two months - 59.

But the World Health Organisation fears Europe may see a deadly second wave of the pandemic in the winter.