EAGERNESS to get out and about is building up as England's second Covid lockdown ends tomorrow, December 2. But for now, here are the talking points from the last 24-hours: 

A further 656 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the North-East and North Yorkshire

Across the UK, there were a further 12,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus

The Government said a further 205 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 58,448.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 74,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK. Read the full story here. 

  • Matt Hancock said the Government has got the second wave of the UK Covid-19 pandemic back under control

The Health Secretary told the Downing Street press conference that in the last week cases have dropped by 30 per cent in England.

Mr Hancock said: “This is clearly good news. It shows that the national restrictions have been successful.

“What this means in practice is that through everyone’s actions in respecting the national lockdown, and through everything that people have sacrificed, we’ve reduced pressures on the NHS, we’ve brought down the number of coronavirus cases, we’ve got this virus back under control.”

  • Covid rate in the North-East dropped 'more than half' in second lockdown

The coronavirus rate of infection in the North-East dropped significantly during the second national lockdown, a study has said. There had been a more than 50 per cent drop in the Covid infection rate across our region, over an almost two week period this month.

The findings from the Imperial College London's React study came as a North-East council last week suggested that the lockdown had worked to reduce cases. Read more here.

  • What shops are going to be open tomorrow?

North East residents will once again be allowed to leave the house, go to the gym and get a haircut this week as the region comes out of Covid lockdown.

Placed in the highest tier with the most stringent restrictions, residents in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and Tyne and Wear can do less than their southern counterparts but, despite this, some businesses are set to welcome back customers. Click here for a full list of businesses open in Tier 3.

North Yorkshire is the only area of Yorkshire to not be placed in Tier 3 as England comes out of its second lockdown on December 2.

Residents of North Yorkshire, who were last week urged not to be complacent as the area was placed into Tier 2 for Covid restrictions, can enjoy meals with friends in pub gardens and visit museums. Click here for a full list of businesses open in North Yorkshire.

  • The Magpie Cafe in Whitby asks Tier 3 customers to stay away

A fish and chip restaurant, which will be allowed to reopen under local lockdown rules, has urged visitors from Tier 3 to stay away.

The Magpie Cafe in Whitby, North Yorkshire, will be allowed to reopen its restaurant from December 2 as the county is placed under Tier 2 restrictions.

The less stringent rules for North Yorkshire will allow restaurants, cafes and pubs serving substantial meals to reopen their doors. While in the North-East, such venues will have to remain closed, except for takeaway and click-and-collect. Click here to read the full story.

  • Covid: Durham set to lose more than £700,000 due to cancelled gigs

Durham looks set to lose more than £700,000 as a result of cancelled events at its leading music venues due to Covid, research shows.

The research by events firm Eventopedia has found Durham will lose £735,889 on events from just three city venues - the Old Cinema Launderette, Gala Theatre and Cinema and Durham Cathedral - meaning the true figure is likely to be much higher. Click here for the full report.  

Read more local stories:

  • Covid-19: Darlington GPs 'doing their best' to maintain access to service. GPs facing the "hardest winter" of their careers say they are working hard to provide as much access to services as possible - read more.
  • Newcastle hospital staff battling Covid have bikes stolen.  A gang of suspected bicycle thieves who have targeted NHS workers as they battle the Covid-19 pandemic have been arrested. Four members of staff at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Freeman Hospital, both in Newcastle, had their bikes stolen in just three days - read more. 
  • A further 656 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Across the UK, there were a further 12,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus

The Government said a further 205 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 58,448.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 74,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

A further 183 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 40,588, NHS England said on Monday.

Patients were aged between 52 and 95. All except three, aged between 84 and 93, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between November 5 and November 29, with the majority on or after November 23.

Four other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

There were ten deaths at hospital in the North-East and North Yorkshire, with one in County Durham and Darlington, one in Newcastle and eight in York.

Here is a breakdown of new cases by local authority area:

County Durham: 19,203 was 19,099– an increase of 104

Darlington: 3,344 was 3,311 - an increase of 33

Gateshead: 7,771 was 7,743– an increase of 28

Hartlepool: 3,922 was 3,900– an increase of 22

Middlesbrough: 5,592 was 5,563– an increase of 29

Newcastle: 15,713 was 15,658– an increase of 55

North Tyneside: 6,781 was 6,752– an increase of 29

North Yorkshire: 13,271 was 13,208– an increase of 63

Northumberland: 8,448 was 8,388– an increase of 60

Redcar and Cleveland: 4,533 was 4,509– an increase of 24

South Tyneside: 5,746 was 5,693– an increase of 53

Stockton: 7,558 was 7,524– an increase of 34

Sunderland: 11,023 was 10,966– an increase of 57

York: 5,646 was 5,632– an increase of 14

Total increase: 656