St Albans has the fourth highest number of Covid cases in England, new figures have revealed.

The district has 651 cases per 100,000 on November 2, compared to a national average of 402.1 - placing the district seventh for the UK as a whole.

This is actually down from a peak of 736 for October 28, against a UK rate of 417.4. This was the third highest daily rate for St Albans since the start of the pandemic, with only January 4 (770.2) and January 1 (753.4) higher.

St Albans district council leader Cllr Chris White said they are aware that Covid cases have been rising higher than other parts of the county.

“We have been talking to the public health department of Herts county council (HCC) about this and taking guidance from them.

“I understand the increase has been due to multiple causes of social interaction across most age groups rather than one single cause.

“School aged children have been on the receiving end of transmission from other age groups as well as transmitting the virus themselves. The district has a particularly large number of school aged children, so the numbers are naturally somewhat higher here.

“Our advice to residents is to follow Covid safety advice and get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already.

“There is also guidance from the county council in its role as public health adviser which has included increasing the use of masks in schools and on journeys to and from schools. That is only guidance and it will be up to individuals to make decisions for themselves.”

Jim McManus, director of public health for HCC said: "Case rates in St Albans are still higher than the rest of the county in a number of age groups, and while some have started to drop slowly, it could easily go back up again.

"There are multiple settings including schools and education and workplaces which are shown as common exposures.

"The combination measures of ventilation, face coverings in shops and on public transport and regular testing, and self-isolating if you test positive, remain key measures we ask everyone to take to brings numbers down."