Confirmed coronavirus cases in Babergh remains the lowest of any district in Suffolk, according to figures released today.

The Babergh district council area, which includes Hadleigh nd surrounding villages, now has 319 cumulative case, which includes a number of cases which were not reported by Public Health England due to technical reasons that have now been resolved.

Meanwhile, a phone line has gone live to help people across Suffolk access information or support relating to debt, benefits, housing or employment.

This support service is in response to the financial impact that Covid-19 has had, and continues to have, on people across Suffolk. It is estimated that the number of people claiming Universal Credit in Suffolk has increased by 75% (approx. 24,000) since March and there has been a 238% increase in the amount of food handed out to single adults and families from Suffolk's foodbanks. There are also 104,000 people still furloughed from their jobs.

Citizens Advice Suffolk Alliance, which includes the eight Citizens Advice Bureaus across Suffolk, and Anglia Care Trust and Ipswich Housing Action Group will deliver advice and support to people through a single phone line.

Call handlers will use resources and information from across many Suffolk organisations and specialist providers, which can be tailored to individual needs.

The phone line is funded by Suffolk Public Sector Leaders, which includes Felixstowe's Steve Gallant as East Suffolk's leader, and has been developed by Suffolk-wide partners on the Collaborative Communities Covid-19 Board, which is part of the Suffolk Resilience Forum.

The phoneline, 0800 068 3131, is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Nationally, the cases recorded by the published date for 3 and 4 October include 15,841 additional cases with specimen dates between 25 September and 2 October — they are therefore artificially high for England and the UK.

As of 9:23pm on 4th October: 502,978 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK (pillar 1 and pillar 2 testing). Of those who tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK, 42,350 have died (within 28 days of positive test) across all settings.

The total number of cases and deaths in the UK during the last 24 hours are 22,961 and 33 respectively.

Confirmed cases in Suffolk are broken down by districts and boroughs as follows

Mid Suffolk: 395 cumulative case, 380.2 per 100,000 residents.

Ipswich: 791 cumulative case, 577.7 per 100,000 residents.

Suffolk: 3,214 cumulative case, 422.1 per 100,000 residents.

England: 430,843 cumulative case, 765.4 per 100,000 residents.