AS Covid-19 cases and infection rates continue to rise around Swindon and Wiltshire, there is increasing pressure on the government to switch to the pandemic’s plan B.

Health experts have called for some of the safety precautions removed in July to be brought back, such as the mandatory wearing of masks and working from home as much as possible, as well as new measures like having vaccine passports for entry into places such as nightclubs.

Higher infection rates increase the risk of new variants forming. One new strain of the Delta variant, known as AY.4.2 has been recorded in 294 of 315 local authorities around the UK as of October 9 and is reportedly responsible for more than one in five infections in parts of Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.

A poll on the Adver’s website showed a large majority backing the idea of immediately putting Plan B in place, with 74 per cent of 200 votes.

Just under a quarter of those who responded to the survey thought the opposite, arguing that it was not necessary to have stricter safety measures.

A handful of our readers (two per cent voted for either option) suggested starting Plan B in a few weeks’ time or were unsure about whether they were for or against the plan.

The dozens of shoppers visiting the town centre branches of Iceland and Poundland on Havelock Square yesterday lunchtime were evenly split between those wearing a face mask and those not. Iceland had a slightly larger gap between the number of masked and unmasked shoppers, with the figures tipping in favour of the safety precaution.

This comes as the latest coronavirus figures for Swindon revealed that 294 cases were confirmed within 24 hours on Monday and the borough’s infection rate rose to 1,128.4 cases per 100,000 population as of October 20.

The UK as a whole saw 26,567 new cases and 38 newly-recorded deaths of people who had the disease.

Last week, Great Western Hospital boss Kevin McNamara called for compulsory mask-wearing and Swindon’s case rate was among the top five highest in the country.

Uptake for the vaccines is strong, with around 75 per cent of over-12s in Swindon having had both doses and booster jabs now being arranged for the elderly and vulnerable. These vaccinations reduce the risk of people who catch the disease dying or requiring intensive care but the virus can still make them poorly.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said yesterday that there is “no plan to move to Plan B at this stage”.

The spokesman added: “If the public continue to abide by the behaviours and guidance we have set out, and those eligible get their booster jabs, we believe we can further curb cases and bring rates down, along with hospitalisation and deaths.”