AN AREA of the New Forest has recorded fewer than three new Covid-19 cases in a seven-day period, Public Health England has confirmed.

This means that the Government has not assigned the district of Lyndhurst and Minstead an infection rate, due to the number of cases being so few in the seven days to January 22.

In the previous week, up to January 15, the area recorded 16 cases, down 15.8%, and had an infection rate of 282.4 per 100,000 people. This means that one in every 354 people would have been infected with the virus during that week.

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The neighbouring district of Brockenhurst and Sway has also seen cases drop off massively, recording the fourth lowest infection rate in the county: 92.5.

In the seven days to January 22 seven cases were recorded, down 46.2%. In the week before, it had 13 cases, and an infection rate of 171.8.

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Elsewhere in the county, Chandler's Ford East recorded the second lowest infection rate with 74.6 per 100,000 people.

The area saw six new cases in the week to January 22, down 83.8%.

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One of its neighbouring areas also recorded low infection rates.

Colden Common and Twyford recorded the third lowest infection rate with 84 per 100,000. The district noted eight new cases in the week to January 22, down 55.6%.

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And going north east, New Alresford was another to record a low infection rate, with a rolling rate of 94.6.

The district saw eight new cases in the week to January 22, down 55.6%.

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Only two other districts recorded infection rates less than 100.

They were Chilbolton, Clatford and Barton Stacey with a rate of 95 - although cases had risen by 150% to five, and Tadley East Oamber and Silchester with 77.8 - which recorded six new cases in the week to January 22, down 76%.

Hampshire Chronicle: How the rest of Hampshire is looking. How the rest of Hampshire is looking.

For reference, the map is divided into Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs), which are areas with an average population of 7,200.

It then colour-codes MSOAs depending on their seven day rolling infection rate, with areas placed into the boundaries of 0-9 (yellow), 10-49 (light green), 50-99 (dark green), 100-199 (light blue), 200-399 (dark blue), 400 to 799 (light purple) and 800 plus (dark purple).

Anywhere labelled '800 plus' is today deemed by the Government to be a 'hotspot' - and the only one visible on the above map is Fratton North, in Portsmouth.