UPDATE: Bedford records five new cases of coronavirus while Central Beds has seven more

Today (April 21), Bedford has recorded five new cases with a total of 331 people diagnosed with the deadly virus.

Central Bedfordshire has 379 cases, up from 372 and Luton has 485 cases, up from 473.

These numbers are lower than Hertfordshire (1,904) and Buckinghamshire (652). Although Milton Keynes (390) appears to be slowing down, 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.

On Monday, March 23, 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. And last week, the lockdown was extended by a further three weeks.

Nationally, the number of coronavirus cases now stands at 129,044. The number of deaths has now been recorded as 17,337, according to Public Health England.