| It’s very difficult to know whether to be comforted or alarmed by the latest coronavirus infection statistics. It’s great to see Preston and even neighbouring Blackpool so low down on the list of local authorities – both in the 40s – but with near-neighbour Blackburn featuring at the top, it would be very silly to get even slightly complacent. For the record, Preston’s rate of infection has actually increased– not decreased (see page 6) This is still a pandemic and although rates have slowed, people are still both dying and getting infected. It remains very real. Friday is D-Day for the new rules for compulsory face-coverings in shops and it is critical we abide by this, bearing in mind very few would choose to cover their mouth and nose if they didn’t have to. It’s definitely an adjustment. But nobody is immune and coronavirus is, sadly, not old news. It’s quite difficult to balance the natural feelings of glee that the world appears to be reopening but we all need to play our part to allow that to happen safely here in Lancashire. You can contact me by email at [email protected] Nicola Adam Deputy Editor Reliable news is vital to the community. But maintaining high standards of local reporting takes great effort from a large team of reporters, editors and creative staff. Over the years, this talent has been paid for by your kind support of our print paper. But today’s journalism is increasingly read online. To sustain what we do and continue to bring you the best in local and regional news coverage, we need that same support for our website. Our aim is to keep our reporting accessible to everyone, which is why our subscriptions start at a trial price of £1 per month for the first 3 months*. When you buy a subscription, you’ll enjoy unlimited access to all our stories on a faster website with fewer ads, as well as free access to our mobile app - plus you can cancel at any time. So please take a moment to subscribe to our trial, and help us keep quality local journalism alive. *Subsequent price is £2 per week Subscribe here. Here are some of our top stories from today... | 
