Coronavirus Covid-19 in Cumbria and the Lake District
Daily updates of reported cases of COVID 19 coronavirus in Cumbria and the Lake District and weekly updates on deaths with coronavirus.
Including advice to visitors on current covid restrictions in the Lake District and Cumbria and looking back to how the 2020-2022 COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in this large rural county in the far north west of England.
The Lake District & Cumbria is open
England, including the Lake District and Cumbria, has removed all covid restrictions, although some businesses can ask you to show your vaccination status or ask you to wear a mask. Self catering accommodation, hotels, b&b’s, outdoor and indoor visitor attractions, indoor dining, non essential shops etc are open in the Lake District.
We would like to say a huge welcome to all our visitors. It is wonderful to see our friends from outside Cumbria back in the towns, villages, valleys and fells of the Lake District again.
Holiday accommodation: opened on 12th April for self contained, self catering accommodation. Bookings are now being taken. This includes Holiday Cottages, Lodges, Glamping Sites and Campsites.
Hotels and b&b’s are now open, and bars and restaurants are able to serve people inside.
Changes to covid statistics reporting
As from 1st April 2022 we are no longer reporting daily statistics. With the end of free testing we don’t feel that the figures accurately reflect the ongoing situation. We will however continue our monitoring and will report if any significant changes occur.
You can still find government data through this page by clicking here – coronavirus.data.gov.uk
This page was created on the 4th of March 2020. It will shortly be replaced by a permanent article covering the history of the pandemic in Cumbria: an illustrated timeline created with the help of our comprehensive log.
Total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cumbria
There have been 150,764 confirmed cases of covid-19 in Cumbria reported since the start of the pandemic.
623 new confirmed cases of coronavirus Covid-19 in Cumbria were reported on the 31st of March 2022.
Figures for the preceding days, working backwards from the 30th of March, were 724, 683, (av)591, (av)591, (av)591, 649, 915, 867, 768, (av)663, (av)663, (av)663, 774, 774, 744, 854, 700, (av)581, (av)581, (av)581, 556, 523, 476, 478, (av)286, (av)286, (av)286, 292, 325, 231, 179 – see more past figures.
Coronavirus cases by lower tier local authority
Total number of people with at least one lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result since the start of the pandemic. Up to 31st of March 2022.
Figures in brackets show the number of new coronavirus cases reported on the 31st March 2022.
- Eden – Penrith, Eden Valley & Pennines – 13,714 (73 new cases)
- Copeland – Whitehaven, West Lakes & West Cumbria – 22,136 (86 new cases)
- Barrow-in-Furness – Furness Peninsular – 23,820 (97 new cases)
- South Lakeland – Windermere, South Lake District & South Cumbria – 27,036 (143 new cases)
- Allerdale – Keswick, North Lake District & West Cumbria – 29,918 (105 new cases)
- Carlisle – Carlisle City, North Cumbria – 34,763 (119 new cases)
The below figures show how the different boroughs have increased or decreased the average number of new cases daily this week.
We compare the running average daily number of new cases of COVID-19 in the week from 30th March to 5th April to the average for the week 23rd to 29th of March (dates are inclusive). Today is day two of seven.
- Eden decreased from 72 to 67 (56.42)
- Copeland increased from 84.28 to 100 (33.42)
- Barrow-in-Furness decreased from 104.85 to 102 (37.57)
- Allerdale decreased from 130.56 to 124 (74.71)
- Carlisle decreased from 144.42 to 133.5 (166)
- South Lakeland increased from 146.99 to 147 (41.28)
Figures in brackets show the average number of new cases daily in the week ending 4th January 2021, at the beginning of the third national lockdown.
Latest page update: 10:46pm 31st of March.
Rate per 100,000 population in Cumbria
The rate of confirmed new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in Cumbria, for the 7 days up to 26th of March 2022, decreased from* 1,048.3 to 1025.8. The average rate for England decreased from 879.6 to 873.8 for the same period. *Compared to the previous day.
The rate of new reported coronavirus cases per 100,000 population for the preceding seven days, by Cumbrian borough, up to the 26th of March 2022. ***
- Copeland – 877.4 (497.2)
- Eden – 920.9 (781.2)**
- Allerdale – 1,009.6 (651.6)
- Carlisle – 1,053.2 (1,137.3)
- South Lakeland – 1,082.9 (335.9)
- Barrow-in-Furness – 1,151 (585.7)
**Figures in brackets show the rate per 100,000 in the 7 days leading up to 4th January 2021, the beginning of the third lockdown.
***These are the most recent statistics available from government reporting.
Deaths in Cumbria within 28 days of positive COVID-19 test
The total number of deaths in Cumbria since the start of the pandemic of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test currently stands at 1,590 (29th of March 2022).
Across the whole of Cumbria there were 6 deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test, in the 7 day period ending 29th of March 2022.
There were 9 deaths the previous week, and 6 deaths the week before that. Figures in brackets show deaths in the w/e 29/03/2022.
- Allerdale – 323 (1)
- Barrow-in-Furness – 216 (1)
- Carlisle – 374 (1)
- Copeland – 233 (2)
- Eden – 158 (0)
- South Lakeland – 286 (1)
We would like to convey our sincerest condolences to all who have lost loved ones in this pandemic.
“Every person lost to covid-19 is a person someone loved, not just a statistic.
My own father was a ‘covid statistic’ in April 2020 (Dad is one of the ‘Allerdale 323’) and every day when I update this page I think of my father, and of how much he wanted to live.
Our loved ones are so much more than numbers and our hearts go out to those who have lost, and are still losing, their family and friends to this coronavirus pandemic.”
Editor: Vanessa Morrison
Cumbrian boroughs – population statistics
Visit the Lake District virtually online
See Keswick Market Square on our live stream webcam. You can also virtually visit the Lake District through the 50+ webcams located across Cumbria on this page.
Support the UK > Staycation 2022
We are delighted to welcome visitors back to the Lake District and Cumbria. Holiday accommodation is open and taking bookings for 2022.
Lake District holiday parks, lodges, glamping sites and holiday cottages saw a 300% increase in demand for short breaks and holidays in October 2020, compared to the same time 2019. In particular holiday cottages with Hot Tubs were very popular for autumn breaks.
When the Chancellor announced coronavirus furlough and grant schemes for the tourism industry on the 23rd of March 2020 it all sounded very impressive. In reality many, many independent tourism providers were left without any financial assistance or any income for months.
Many Activity Providers are mobile operators, as well as being small limited companies, both of which fell outside Government funding. Quite a number of Glamping providers also fell though the net. Please bear this in mind when planning your 2022 Lake District staycation.
Reminder
Please keep a respectful distance from others in public spaces.
As from January 27th 2022: Please remember that some people are still vulnerable to serious complications from covid and particularly give space to those who are wearing masks. Keep as much space as possible between you and others that are masked at all times – even if you think you have had the virus or vaccination and think you are immune.
History of coronavirus in the Lake District & Cumbria
Easter Bank Holiday Monday in the centre of Keswick, heart of the North Lakes
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 coronavirus in Cumbria was reported on the 4th of March 2020. Three days later came the first reports of cases of coronavirus in the Lake District.
All schools in the Lake District and Cumbria closed on Friday the 19th of March, although some stayed open for children of essential workers only.
By the 16th April 2020 at least 1,345 cases of COVID-19 coronavirus, and over 200 deaths, had been reported in Cumbria.
Lake District National Park signs were covered over at the height of the coronavirus crisis
The national lock down imposed by the Government also applied to the whole of Cumbria and the Lake District, including the high places.
During the coronavirus lockdown in Cumbria laybys and forest trails were closed off with cones or branches, even on small back roads.
The Lake District and Cumbria opened to day visitors
On the 10th of May 2020 the Government announced easing of the coronavirus lockdown, allowing people to travel to the National Parks for day trips. Overnight stays in the Lake District & Cumbria were still strictly forbidden, including sleeping in camper vans and camping in tents.
Tourist boards, National Park authorities and local police forces in tourist areas across the UK had little or no warning and reacted with shock. Cumbria Police, Cumbria Tourism and the Lake District National Park authorities asked visitors to continue avoiding the Lake District & Cumbria during the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.
Some social media groups, prompted in part by malicious trolling, expected a massive influx of visitors to the Lake District and reacted with fear and anger.
This massive influx did not happened, the Lakes District and Cumbria remained calm, and we thanked visitors and Cumbrians alike who had maintained a much more careful easing of the covid-19 lockdown than that allowed by the government.
4th July 2020, further easing of covid restrictions
Keswick Market 8th August 2020
- People could now enjoy staycations in England as holiday accommodation reopened on the 4th July
- Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers opened
- Two households could meet up in any setting with social distancing measures
- Some leisure facilities and tourist attractions reopened – outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades, libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres
- Where it was not possible to stay two metres apart, guidance allowed people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’
In June 2020, as news of the upcoming relaxiation of the rules emerged, accommodation bookings in the Lake District started to trickle in. On the 4th of July they exploded.
The pent up demand for staycations was huge as holidaymakers realised that foreign holidays were liable to cancelation at any moment, and opted instead for more traditional English family holidays.
The October Tiers
Boris Johnson announced the new local tier system on October 12th 2020. These measures came into force on October 14th. All of the Lake District and Cumbria were placed in Tier One.
On Thursday 15th October 2020 Barrow-in-Furness, in the far south west of Cumbria moved into High Alert Tier Two. It was joined by Carlisle on the 29th of October.
Lockdown 2
The Lake District was very successful in managing to remain in Tier One and so stay open during October. Sadly we went into National lockdown along with the rest of England on the 5th November 2020. This effectively closed the Lake District and Cumbria to overnight visitors and day trippers.
National restrictions applied throughout the whole of Cumbria. Holiday accommodation, pubs, restaurants, visitor attractions and non essential shops were among visitor facilities closed. Unlike lockdown 1, schools and colleges remained open.
Back to the Tiers
On December 2nd lockdown 2 was lifted as England returned to a three tier system. The Lake District & Cumbria was placed in Tier Two.
Christmas restrictions
On the 19th of October Boris Johnson announced the introduction of the fourth tier, effectively locking down London and much of the south east of England. Households in Tier Four are not permitted to meet family and friends at Christmas.
For all other tiers, including Cumbria and its Lake District, the planned relaxation of the rules for five days over Christmas is reduced to just one day, Christmas Day itself.
Coronavirus vaccinations begin
On the 8th of December 2020 the first coronavirus vaccination was given. At the time, the BBC reported that “Up to four million more are expected by the end of the month.”
Tier Four
On the 30th of December it was announced that the Lake District & Cumbria would be moving to Tier Four at one second past midnight on the 31st of December.
Lockdown Three
On the 4th of January 2021 Boris Johnson announced that the whole of England would be subject to a national lockdown, to start officially on the 5th of January. The rate of covid-19 infection was escalating at an alarming rate, mostly due to the new variant.
In England 26,626 people were in hospital with covid-19 compared to 18,974 at the peak of the first wave, back in April 2020.
Despite the Government’s previously stated desire to keep schools open at all costs, all schools and colleges were to close except for vulnerable children and children of essential workers.
On the 4th of January 634 new confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Cumbria. On the 5th of January it was revealed that one in 50 people in England were currently infected with covid-19.
After a monumental effort by schools and parents in home schooling over some of the darkest months, often in difficult circumstances, schools re-opened on the 8th of March 2021.
NHS Cumbria coronavirus advice
The main symptoms of (COVID-19) coronavirus are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.
You can find the latest information and advice on COVID-19 coronavirus from Public Health England at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Related links:
Past figures
Number of new reported cases of coronavirus in Cumbria. Date first, then number of new cases in (brackets).
February 2022: 28 ((av)157), 27 ((av)157), 26 ((av)157), 25 (169), 24 (219), 23 (239), 22 (285), 21 (212), 20 (194), 19 (207), 18 (310), 17 (288), 16 (298), 15 (270), 14 (188), 13 (185), 12 (204), 11 (322), 10 (374), 9 (409), 8 (377), 7 (309), 6 (349), 5 (358), 4 (409), 3 (493), 2 (517), 1 (632)
January 2022: 31 (n/a), 30 (315), 29 (442), 28 (541), 27 (512), 26 (585), 25 (592), 24 (459), 23 (505), 22 (502), 21 (654), 20 (714), 19 (699), 18 (719), 17 (572), 16 (539), 15 (592), 14 (741), 13 (837), 12 (1,342), 11 (1,291), 10 (1,338), 9 (718), 8 (958), 7 (2,226), 6 (1,767), 5 (1,780), 4 (2,175), 3 (1,349), 2 (1,668), 1 (2,188)
December 2021: 31 (1,785), 30 (1,470), 29 (1,454), 28 (1,316), 27/26/25 (2,566), (n/a), (n/a), 24 (555), 23 (649), 22 (361), 21 (338), 20 (414), 19 (281), 18 (299), 17 (308), 16 (311), 15 (297), 14 (198), 13 (201), 12 (158), 11 (179), 10 (260), 9 (210), 8 (277), 7 (235), 6 (341), 5 (208), 4 (129), 3 (216), 2 (225), 1 (250)
More past figures will be available later.
Back to top
Coronavirus safety – how to wash hands thoroughly
And, finally, in the words of the wonderful Captain Tom:
“You’ve all got to remember that we will get through it in the end, it will all be right. For all those people finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away.”
See latest changes in restrictions on www.gov.uk
