VISITORS to a borough's public buildings are to be asked to continue to wear face masks even after the lifting the majority of legal Covid restrictions from Monday.

Blackburn with Darwen Council plans keep some infection control measures in place in its town halls, libraries and leisure centres.

It is asking members of the public who go there to wear face coverings; use the hand sanitising stations that will remain in place; respect social distancing; follow any one-way systems; and continue using the NHS Covid app to sign in, or leave their contact details for 'Track & Trace'.

The numbers of people given access to council buildings at any one time will increase but be kept under review.

In leisure centres, current booking procedures will remain. Transparent screens will remain in public reception areas,

Denise Park, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The government has made it clear that as we move to Step Four, they are expecting us to take responsibility for our own actions.

"Covid hasn’t gone away and the pandemic is not yet over, and so we need to move forward with caution. This is why we are encouraging visitors to our public buildings to continue to wear face coverings, sanitise their hands, respect social distancing and so on, as we transition to a more normal way of life.

"Many of the measures we have put in place in council buildings over the last year will remain for the time being."