A YORK MP has issued an impassioned plea to people in the city to keep going in the fight against Covid-19.

The York Central MP Rachael Maskell has taken to Twitter calling on residents to keep observing social distancing and a strict hygiene regime in a bid to battle the virus.

Ms Maskell said: "I need your help York. Covid19 levels are very high. Schools are closing, businesses are shutting and GPs are overwhelmed. People are poorly and sadly someone else has been taken.  We have beaten this virus before by strictly following HANDS-FACE-SPACE🤲😷📏2m. Please keep going."

Her comments come ahead of the lifting of restrictions on Monday (July 19) and after another person has died of Covid-19 at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

As previously reported, the hospital trust has reopened a second Covid ward as the number of patients requiring hospital treatment continues to increase slowly.

The ward has been opened by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at Scarborough Hospital, in addition to one already operating at York Hospital.

Until now, all Covid patients in the Scarborough area who required hospital treatment were being taken to York Hospital.