Two thousand schoolchildren have been affected by Covid-19 in Milton Keynes

The pupils have either been diagnosed with the virus themselves or sent home to self-isolate because they have been in touch with someone with a confirmed case.

But, though disruptive, this is only a relatively small fraction of total 40,000 pupils in the city's schools.

Council leader Pete Marland said: "Schools have been doing their best to make sure their children’s learning is disrupted as little as possible. Most schools have only had one or two positive cases where there has been an issue. The action taken will be different depending on each circumstances and on the evidence. Safety will always be our first priority."

He said the council was continuing to give advice to eleven schools in Milton Keynes. This number is slightly down on the past few weeks.

The number of cases is currently 20.8 per 100,000 people in Milton Keynes. That compares to 57.3 in Luton, 41.5 in Bedford and 19.4 per 100,000 in Central Bedfordshire.

Pete said: "Our number of cases in Milton Keynes continue to rise but our figure lower than many other places. We are doing well and we need to continue that. I want to say thank you to everyone. I know it is not easy but the steps we have taken here really do make a difference."

He added: "It’s really important that as well as monitoring your physical symptoms you look after your mental wellbeing. It is not unusual for people to be struggling with the restrictions and the odd situation we find ourselves in. It has been more difficult to keep active, relax and have mental time out.

"It’s okay to feel a bit worried about the current situation. It’s good to share any concerns with people that you trust. Talking to someone might be helping them too. If you can’t speak to someone you know there are ways you can reach out and talk to someone in confidence.

"People might also have some more serious mental health concerns or be in crisis. If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, you can contact the Milton Keynes Crisis Line on 0800 0234 650."

Pete has thanked everyone who has already stepped forward to be a community champion for Milton Keynes.

The council is looking for such champions who are willing to share information about stopping the spread of the virus with their family, friends and networks. You can visit the Mk Council website for details.

"I think we are now all clear that the difficult issues and restrictions we face will be with us for some time yet. It will be harder as we head towards winter," he said.

If you experience a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a change of your sense of smell or taste, please isolate and get a test. You can do that online at www.gov.uk or by calling 119.

Meanwhile numbers of positive cases in MK are continuing to rise. See the Citizen story here .