UPDATE: 60 people diagnosed with coronavirus in Bedford and 78 in Central Beds

Yesterday (March 31) Bedford has had a total of 60 diagnosed cases of the deadly virus - up from 34 on Monday.

Central Bedfordshire has 78 cases, from 60 and Luton has 86, up from 69.

These numbers are lower than Hertfordshire (396) and Buckinghamshire (147) and Milton Keynes (106) but members of the public are urged to remain indoors as much as possible to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The new figures are now recorded between 5pm the previous day to 5pm.

Last Monday, the government announced tougher social distancing measures, with all outdoor activities prohibited except for food shopping, one daily exercise, treatment of a condition and any essential travel for work.

Yesterday's figures were expected to show a spike in the number of deaths across the UK. This is because, until now, officials have only counted fatalities that take place in hospitals. But from yesterday, they include victims who died at home or in a care home.

Nationally, the number of coronavirus cases now stands at 25,150. The number of deaths has been recorded as 1,789, according to Public Health England.