Staffordshire County Council health bosses are asking residents to remain cautious and to keep following all the rules and getting tested regularly.

Boris Johnson's plans of a staged easing of lockdown was unveiled on Monday and was welcomed by Staffordshire County Council.

However, the council says the roadmap outlining the relaxation of restrictions must be treated with caution as the risk in Staffordshire remains high.

Cases are falling in most areas of the county but are rising in Tamworth and are still higher than the England average. Testing for the highly-transmissible South African variant is still taking place in Stafford borough.

The council has encouraged people to keep getting a rapid test if they need to be out and about, especially if they live in a hotspot area.

Dr Johnny McMahon Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing, said: "Schools are returning on 8 March and plans to slowly return to normality are in place. However, we plead with Staffordshire residents to remain cautious.

"The latest virus data shows how quick things can change - not all areas of the county are showing cases falling and we are still midway through screening for the South African strain.

"Relaxing of the rules must be treated with extreme caution and be a gradual process – we cannot allow ourselves to become impatient.

"The current lockdown rules are still in place. Please stick to them, get tested regularly and take the vaccination when it is offered to you. This cautious approach will lead us slowly - and most important of all - safely back to the normality we all crave."

The nearest local testing centre is located at Biddulph Valley Leisure Centre, and another Moorlands centre is located at Brough Park Leisure Centre in Leek. Two Moorlands hotspot areas have now been named - in Caverswall and Checkley.

Staffordshire residents are now able to walk in to one of the community testing sites to get a rapid Covid-19 test. Walk ins are subject to availability at each individual site - to secure a slot, booking on the community testing sites page is still recommended.

People with symptoms or those who have been asked to self-isolate as a close contact of a Covid case should not attend.