JUST five new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed tonight in the whole of York and North Yorkshire.

Public Health England said two new cases had been confirmed in the City of York Council area, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 442.

It said three new cases had been confirmed in the North Yorkshire County Council area, taking the total up to 1,256.

However, it was a different story in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area, where an increase of 28 had taken the total there up to 847.

It is the second night running that there has been a small number of new cases in York and North Yorkshire, but the slowdown could also be a statistical blip, and it will only become clear in time whether the spread of the virus has been firmly reduced.