WORSHIPPERS have been urged to be "very, very careful" when attending mosques during Ramadan to avoid spreading coronavirus.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Councillor Mohammed Khan issued the warning over the Islamic Holy Week as he updated councillors on the Covid-19 situation.

He told Thursday's meeting of the borough's Council Forum: "At the last update we were in the middle of the Omicron wave, which we know resulted in huge case rates and lots of disruption for many.

"The situation has changed quite dramatically since then and the government has now announced its 'Living with Covid Plan', where regulations are replaced with Public Health advice and an emphasis on personal responsibility in the same way we manage other infectious illnesses.

"We know that free testing will end for most residents on March 31.

"Whilst the regulations have been lifted, we do however need to maintain our resilience and be able to step up and respond to future variants or surges in cases and we are working on our own local 'living with Covid' plan to ensure we can respond appropriately if needed.

"It is important to remember that Covid has not gone away and we should still come forward for vaccinations and ask that everyone continues to follow the guidance to keep everyone safe.

"Ramadan comes on April 2 and people spend all their time in the mosque. Hundreds of people will go to the mosque.

"This is something we are concerned about.

"We want people to be very, very careful. Some will not have been to the mosque for two years.

"We want to make sure that everyone takes control of their own life and makes sure we are not back in the same mess we had 18 months ago.

"Much of our focus will now move on to recovery and how we can support everyone to live and work safely with Covid."

Cases of Covid-19 have been on the rise in recent weeks in Blackburn with Darwen and across the UK. At the beginning of the month, the infection rate in the borough was 141.3 cases per 100,000 people; now the infection rate is 449.9, more than triple the figure at the start of March.