THE council's director of public health urged people not to "drop their guard" over the festive season, after 900 new Covid-19 infections were reported in just two days.

Brighton and Hove City Council said that that in the week up to December 11, the city had 1,884 new confirmed cases of the virus - equivalent to a weekly rate of 645.8 per 100,000 residents.

This is higher than the average rate for England at 540.1, but lower than the average rate for the South East region, which stands at 658.5.

Whilst the city's weekly number of cases was down by 1.7 per cent on the previous week, director public health at the council Alistair Hill said that the city had seen 900 new cases reported over just 48 hours.

He said: "This rapid increase is explained by the spread of the Omicron variant and I expect this trend to continue in the coming days.

"Please don't drop your guard over the holiday period - the actions you take now will reduce the risk to you and others."

Residents have been urged to prioritise booking vaccinations as soon as possible by booking online or calling 119 to make an appointment, with more appointments are being added daily.

The council has also urged people to reduce close contact with others and keep groups small.

In a statement, the council said: "The fewer people you meet, the safer you will be so, prioritise who you see.

"Meet outside where possible, or open a window when you're inside, or open a window when you're inside, on public transport to let fresh air in."

They also advised people to wear face coverings in all crowded or enclosed spaces, wash your hands or use hand sanitiser regularly, and take lateral flow tests before you meet others, socialise or go to crowded or enclosed spaces.

The news comes after the UK reported its highest number of daily reported infections from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, with 88,376 cases reported yesterday.

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