A surge in Covid cases in Maldon is being linked to one gathering where people failed to observe social distancing. 

Cases in Maldon have skyrocketed this week as the district became the most infected in Essex.

The infection rate stands at 33.9 per 100,000 people and 22 new cases have been recorded in the last seven days.

This rise is attributed to a specific gathering, where attendees "did not observe social distancing with a lot of hugging and close contact."

Essex County Council have warned that cases will continue to rise over the coming days as a result of the gathering.

A spokesperson said: “The situation in Maldon was caused by a gathering where people did not observe social distancing with a lot of hugging and close contact.

"This has led to spread within that group and sadly there is now some evidence of spread more widely in the people of Maldon.

"It is essential that lessons are learned and that we all recognise the virus, through the delta variant is more infectious than ever and we must continue to observe safe social distancing wherever we can.

"This is critical In Essex at the moment as we want to try and keep our rates as low as we can until we are clear of the effectiveness of the vaccine on the delta variant.

"Rates in Maldon are set to rise over coming days and in all age groups. Across Essex, we are seeing rises to a lesser degree and especially in people aged between 19 and 39.”