Several south Essex boroughs and districts are now recording some of the lowest Covid infection rates in the country. 

Castle Point currently has the ninth lowest rate (6.6) of infections per 100,000 people in England having seen just six new coronavirus cases recorded in the past week. 

Rochford meanwhile has the 12th lowest rate of infection (6.9) in the country. 

It also only saw six new cases recorded in the past week but the rate is slightly higher due to having a smaller population. 

The infection rate in Southend (9.8) has also dipped below 10 for the first time this year. 

The borough, which has seen 18 new cases reported in the past week, has the 34th lowest rate of infection in England. 

Other areas in Essex such as Maldon and Brentwood are also included in the top 10 lowest areas. 

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It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to give an update on his lockdown roadmap within the next week. 

The roadmap suggests households will be able to meet up indoors, and pubs and restaurants can serve food inside from May 17. 

Speaking earlier this week about the future easing of lockdown rules, the Prime Minister hinted the dates on his road map remained in place. 

He said: "As things stand, and the way things are going, with the vaccine rollout going the way that it is – we have done 50 million jabs as I speak to you today, quarter of the adult population, one in four have had two jabs.

“You are seeing the results of that really starting to show up in the epidemiology.

“I think that we will be able to go ahead, feels like May 17 is going to be good.

“But it also looks to me as though June 21 we’ll be able to say social distancing as we currently have to do it, the one-metre plus, I think we have got a good chance of being able to dispense with the one-metre plus from June 21.