New self-isolation guidance has been issued to schools across Cumbria today in a bid to tackle a rise in cases amongst school age children.

Cumbria County Council’s Director of Public Health, Colin Cox, is advising that siblings of children who test positive should also self-isolate and take a PCR test three to five days after their sibling has tested positive before returning to school if they’re negative.

The 12 to 18 age group accounted for the greatest number of new cases in Cumbria this week followed by the five to 11 age group.

The 12 to 18 age group has seen a rise of cases amounting to 524, and the five to 11 age group has seen a rise of cases amounting to 412.

The 12 to 18 and five to 11 age groups also accounted for by far the greatest rates of new cases in Cumbria, seeing 1,431 and 1,106 new cases per 100,000 population respectively.