Calderdale Council's Director of Public Health has urged anyone travelling back to the area from London, the South East or Wales to self-isolate over the Christmas period following the emergence of the new strain of Covid-19.

Deborah Harkins said those who had travelled to Calderdale from any of the above areas should "act as though they have the new strain" and self isolate for ten days - including Christmas Day.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Director of Public Health for Kirklees Council, stopped short of asking people to self-isolate but said it was now more important than ever that "we keep our contact with each other to a minimum".

It follows news that the mutant strain of the virus could be 70 per cent more infectious, although Matt Hancock has previously said there is nothing to currently suggest it is more likely to cause serious disease.

For the latest coronavirus news follow the Yorkshire Covid-19 blog here.

London and the South East, where the new variant has been rapidly spreading, is currently under tight Tier 4 restrictions and it emerged yesterday evening that more areas could be put into Tier 4 on Boxing Day.

It has led to a Calderdale Council health chief appealing for people to immediately isolate if they are travelling up from London and the South East to Calderdale - possibly placing Christmas plans in jeopardy.

Deborah Harkins, Director of Public Health for Calderdale Council, said: "The discovery and rapid increase of the new strain of COVID-19 is extremely concerning and although we know the rate is particularly high in Tier 4 locations, unfortunately the strain is almost certainly already in our area.

“Studies are ongoing into the properties of the new strain, but we do know that it is extremely infectious and if you come in to contact with someone with this strain you are far more likely to catch it.

“I would urge everyone to be even more stringent in following the guidelines, and limit contact with others as much as possible.

"If people have travelled to our area from London, the South-East or Wales in recent days we also recommend that they act as though they have the new strain and self-isolate at home, with no visitors allowed in that house at all for 10 days, even on Christmas Day.

“We know this is further upsetting news, but it’s so important we take this seriously. The virus doesn’t take time off for Christmas and the infection rate in Calderdale is still very high.

"There is a real risk of Christmas mixing increasing rates further, putting lives at risk and adding to existing pressure on the NHS.

“Even if you haven’t travelled from elsewhere in the country, the best way we can all show our love for our friends and family is to follow the three big things - keep contact with other people to a minimum, wear a face covering indoors with people we don’t live with, and self-isolate when necessary.

“We want people to have an enjoyable festive period, but above all it should be a safe one. It’s so important that we consider the serious potential consequences of our actions and don’t put loved ones at risk.”

Addressing the new strain of the virus and what it meant for Christmas, Rachel-Spencer Henshall, Director of Public Health for Kirklees Council, said: “With a new strain of the virus out there, it’s more important than ever we keep our contact with each other to minimum.

"The evidence very strongly suggests that this strain spreads even more easily than we’ve seen previously. The best way to stay safe is to follow the government guidance and reduce contact with people outside your household.

"If you do have people visiting for Christmas, especially from high rate areas, it’s important that everyone understands the risk you are taking.

"In Kirklees, we have made such huge progress in bringing infections down and we’ve only been able to do that by taking a really cautious approach to risk.

“It’s really important that anyone who has symptoms or is concerned that they have been a contact of someone with the virus should get a test by ringing 119 or going to the government website.”

What's the current situation in Kirklees, Calderdale and West Yorkshire?

In the week ending December 11, 27 people died Covid-19-related deaths across Kirklees, down from 38 the week before and 42 the week before that, according to figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics.

But in Calderdale, there were 11 deaths in the most recent week, up from 10 a week before and six the prior week.

Overall, there have been 629 deaths across Kirklees involving Covid-19 between the start of the outbreak and December 11.

There have been 214 Covid-19-related deaths in Calderdale up to December 11.

At Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust's two hospitals, 60 people who were being cared for by the Trust and had tested positive for coronavirus have died in just over a month.

On November 20, the number of deaths was recorded at 277. Most recent data (up to December 22) puts that number at 337.

The Trust's Medical Director Dr David Birkenhead said: "These are difficult times for all the families involved and our thoughts are with them."

Data released from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study UK Infection Survey indicate that West Yorkshire's infection rates are now travelling in the wrong direction.

According to the data, which was released today, West Yorkshire's infection rate now stands at 307 per 100,000 people - with the area's prevalence trend increasing from its last data set - however the case rate for the over 60s is low at 68 per 100,000.

The data also shows the area's R rate is currently at 1.00 and 15 per cent of NHS beds are now occupied by people who have tested positive for Covid-19.