Coronavirus: At least ten test positive after Allerdale birthday party

At least ten people have tested positive for coronavirus after attending a party that broke lockdown guidelines.

The party was held in the Allerdale area of Cumbria and was organised by the child's father, who confirmed to ITV Border that there were more than 30 people there from different households.

However he said that the party was held in a field next to the house and that social distancing had been observed and hand gel and other precautions had been in place.

Public health bosses are now investigating the party, which, whilst not being illegal, had broken coronavirus guidelines.

Those at the party have been contacted through track and trace and are now self isolating.

Director of Public Health, Colin Cox, has spoken of the incident. He said: "The guidelines are trying to make sure that you’ve got a small number of people together from a small number of households and these gatherings are clearly taking place on a much larger scale than that.

"It is hard and trying to keep control in that kind of party and environment is really difficult and particularly if there’s alcohol involved - and I don’t know the details of that party - but it becomes much more difficult. 

"I think that’s why it’s so important to try to maintain that and take some personal responsibility for that ourselves as well."

Mr Cox goes on to say that he even struggles to remember the guidelines, describing them as 'complex', but stressed: "The key message is - you should be having small gatherings, not large ones. Small number of households, not multiple. Even then, you should try to maintain physical distancing where you can."

It comes as the number of positive cases in Cumbria remains at around 50 a week - with up to 25 from the Carlisle area.

That equates to about 10 per 100,000 population; still a long way below the amount in places like Greater Manchester and Blackburn where it is up to 80 per 100,000 population.

Public health bosses have now put up a new long-term testing centre in Carlisle to help combat the illness, based at the Devonshire Walk Car Park, near Carlisle Castle. It is a walk in centre and test results are available within 24 hours.

The number of Coronavirus cases amongst young people are also increasing, which health bosses say is because they are out and about socialising more in pubs and clubs with the easing of lockdown.

Meanwhile, 3 more people died with coronavirus in the week up to 31 July, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

And 18 care homes in Cumbria are dealing with active outbreaks of coronavirus, according to Colin Cox, Director of Public Health in Cumbria.