Essex County Council has welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement on the path out of lockdown - but has urged caution as the county-wide infection rate remains high.

With case rates in the Essex area as a whole still around 100 cases per 100,000 people, county council leader, Councillor David Finch, is urging residents not to drop their guard.

For Maldon district, the seven-day infection rate to 17 January is 69.3 per 100,000 - and while lower, is still much higher than rates last summer and autumn, when 'air bridges' with other countries were closed if their rates of infection hit more than 20 per 100,000.

The Prime Minister's announcement in Parliament today (Monday, 22 February) and to the nation in a press conference this evening, outlined four steps out of lockdown over the coming months, starting with the re-opening of schools in England on 8 March. However, each stage of the journey back to a new normal will, Mr Johnson said, be dependent on progress in the rates of infection, vaccination, hospitalisations and deaths, as well as what happens with any new variants.

As the current spread of the virus is fairly uniform across the country, restrictions will be eased step-by-step across the whole of England at the same time.

Cllr David Finch said: "While today's announcement is welcome news and certainly a step in the right direction, I must ask everyone to please remain cautious. We are not out of the woods yet, and we must not undo all the sacrifices everyone has made over the past year.

"Our case rates are still around 100 cases per 100,000 people, and we still have some work to do at getting these figures down.

"I am sure many parents and carers are breathing a sigh of relief today with the announcement that all children will now be able to attend school, however there will be many who are anxious or worried about sending their children.

"I would like to reassure parents and carers that all of our schools will continue to work exceptionally hard to create Covid-secure environments by following the Public Health England and Department for Education advice and guidance, in preparation for the full return in two weeks time.

"We would ask parents and carers to also play their part. Please adhere to your school's policies, including isolating at home should your child have any symptoms and of course please adhere to social distancing guidelines while on the school run.

"We understand how hard this past year has been for everyone, however today's announcement shows us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am hopeful that by following the Government's roadmap, and by working together to adhere to the guidelines, we will begin to see a return to a more normal way of life in the very near future."

The Prime Minister's full announcement, including details of what will be allowed beyond 29 March, can be found by visiting the link here.