| Good evening It’s been a while since we had any good news on the Covid-front but here it is - the reproduction number for coronavirus - the R value - has dropped to between 1 and 1.2 across the UK, Government scientists say.
Even better it continues to fall, albeit some of our communities here in Lancashire still have some of the highest rates in the UK. But in 2020 we’ll take any glimmer of hope and it seems the lockdown is having its desired effect. The reality is we have a long way to go. The science body which wrote the latest report and advises the Government (SAGE) warned demand for healthcare will carry on unless the R-rate stays below one - that is the point they can tell the outbreak is in retreat. And for the past few weeks it has been between 1.1 and 1.3 for context and the number of infections is still growing. It’s been suggested this rise is a direct result of people going out and socialising just before the current lockdown period began which, reading between the lines, doesn’t give hope for any release of restrictions any time soon. But we’ll take any good news we can get. Stay safe and look after each other - it is, after all, National Kindness Day. Kind regards, Nicola Adam, Deputy Editor Twitter@jabberingjourno Please subscribe and support local journalism Here are some of today's top stories ... | 
