TOWN hall leaders have praised the work of the public for helping lower coronavirus cases ­— but have stressed “we are not out of the woods yet”.

Metro mayor Andy Burnham yesterday revealed there were 237 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Manchester this week, with a much reduced 14 deaths in hospitals.

The reduced number of new cases was hailed “an improving picture” by the mayor ­— half that of a month ago.

And deputy mayor Bev Hughes praised the police for their work during a busy week ­— and pleaded with people to stay away from large gatherings, especially illegal raves.

Bolton Council also warned against attending such events ­— after rumours of more raves this weekend.

Cllr Nadim Muslim said: “The vast majority of our residents understand the need for the gradual easing of the lockdown and that we are not out of the woods yet.

“However, there are reports that as the weather improves people are organising and attending outdoor gatherings such as raves.

“These are illegal, and people’s lives are being put at risk by organised criminals. They have no health and safety measures in place.

"As well as the potential for spreading the disease people are being put in situations where they face potential violence.

“But it’s not only their own health being put at risk. Anyone attending is potentially putting lives of family members such as parents and grandparents, or the lives of friends at risk. If you considering going then please stop and think."

Meanwhile, the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust revealed there were no covid-19 patients receiving critical care.

Across the trust nine patients have tested positive for coronavirus and there are a further 23 suspected cases.

Andy Ennis, chief operating officer, said: “This has been an incredibly tough year and although it is fantastic to see the numbers of covid-19 cases fall it is really important that we don’t get complacent."

“The virus is still with us and will be for the foreseeable future.

“We are very much still here for those who need us and are doing all we can to restart some of the clinics that we had to stop during the height of the pandemic.

“However, to keep our patients safe we must continue to do things a little differently.

“We would urge people to continue to stay socially safe, attend any appointments you have but only use A&E if you have a serious or potentially life threatening condition.”