With extra restrictions and tougher measures brought in on Tuesday, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in Blackburn with Darwen, the area's public health director, Prof Dominic Harrison, warned that the borough has two weeks to get the numbers down before lockdown measures are reversed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Professor Harrison said Blackburn with Darwen had a 'rising tide' event rather than an outbreak, with the increasing figures coming from 'household clusters' in parts of the town that are in mainly south-Asian areas with a high number of terraced houses and with high numbers of occupants in the house.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The news has caused much concern across the borough, not least amongst our readers, who were naturally conflicted in their opinions.

Here's just a snippet of what they had to say about the current situation, the increase in testing, and the possibility of a local lockdown.

One website user said: "The numbers once testing has reached the national average levels will be incredible.

"Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen will likely be higher than Leicester."

Lancashire Telegraph:

Another user said: "Shut the pubs in Blackburn town centre that are not adhering to the rules.

"Certain pubs are packed all night at weekends, with no details of customers being taken and mass overcrowding.

"The council or police should have shut them down again on July 4."

In agreement, a third user suggested a local lockdown should come into force immediately.

They commented: "I would just do the lockdown now.

"Why are they waiting for more cases to rise and more people to die?

"This council is always behind everyone else. Even when it comes to peoples lives."

Lancashire Telegraph:

While one reader took it further, saying it was the people's fault as opposed to the council's.

The reader said: "People should have already been social distancing when having the allowed number of visitors in their household for the past few weeks.

"You cannot social distance in a terraced house if there are 15 people there.

"People should not have been shaking hands and hugging people (outside family or not) for the past four months.

"You don't need to shake hands every time you meet someone you've met before.

"People shouldn't be crowding into small shops either - if there are too many people in it wait outside."

Over on Facebook, one user commented: "I would normally have a do at the council.

"But, let’s face it, the council aren’t responsible for all those who abused lockdown, and have since either acted like it either doesn’t exist or it doesn’t impact them.

"The government have a lot to answer for, but even we as a part of society needed to play our part and sadly we haven’t."

Lancashire Telegraph:

However, not everyone was in agreement with some beginning to question the actual numbers.

One person stated: "What are the actual numbers? A doubling of one to two cases is a 100 percent increase."

In response, another user said: "There are 41 cases per 100,000 people.

"So around 61 given that the population of the borough is 148,000."

And one was quick to state Blackburn’s rate was a quarter of Leicester's.

They said: "Blackburn’s rate is a quarter of Leicester's yet Professor Harrison has made it a bigger issue than it is.

"Yes take precautions but why the media shaming. It’s ridiculous."

While another Facebook user said: "Numbers rise when the percentage of those tested actually test positive.

"So in reality it's based upon the very same proportions.

"Hospitalisations may not have risen yet because the advice is to self isolate unless you're having breathing difficulties.

"So in fact, there's more people contracting the virus, which in turn puts more people, especially the vulnerable at a greater risk.

"As 85 percent of those are from a South Asian background, then it would suggest that opening the mosques hasn't helped the situation any."

Lancashire Telegraph:

It wasn't all council shaming though, as one voice of reason made a common sense statement, saying: "The people of Blackburn with Darwen should be supporting the authorities in their efforts to target those communities where the outbreak has increased.

"The leaders of those communities must do all in their power to get their people to follow the guidelines, and lead by example themselves."

Lancashire Telegraph:

But not everyone was on the same page, with one disgruntled reader exclaiming: "Surprise, surprise, more cases of Covid-19 after more testing.

"What did the authorities expect?

"This is all pandering to the climate of fear which is being promoted.

"It is the death rate which is important, not the infection rate. And is the death rate going up?

"This is like the situation in Leicester, who were picked on to be the local lockdown guinea pig and to continue this fear mongering while the government is coming out of national lockdown.

"The whole government policy is a charade.

"Look at Sweden, no lockdown at all, a much better death rate than the UK and no mandatory face masks either."