The number of new coronavirus cases is no longer falling in England, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said a steady decline in number of people testing positive for Covid-19 over the last few months “has now levelled off”.

Today’s figures estimate that in the week to July 19, around one in 2,000 people in had coronavirus in the community in England.

Last week’s bulletin put the figure at around one in 2,300 people.

The ONS today warned its figures “cannot be directly compared” from one week to the next, because they are based on complex trend models.

But ONS statistician Heather Bovill said: “Despite decreases in the level of COVID-19 infection from mid-May to mid-June this has slowed in recent weeks, and has now levelled off.

“As the Government relaxes lockdown measures, we are closely monitoring these results for any changes.”

The figures are from the ONS’s infection survey pilot, which has used large-scale testing to estimate the spread of the virus in England since late April.

The survey does not include Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and does not include cases in hospitals, care homes or other “institutional settings”.

It estimates there were between 18,500 and 39,900 people with the virus in the week to July 19 – around 2,800 new cases per day.

The previous week, the ONS estimated there had been between 15,000 and 34,000 people with the virus –  around 1,700 new cases per day.

However, the ONS has not gone as far as saying the number of new cases is actually increasing.

Officials said the figures cannot be directly compared from one week’s bulletin to the next – and there is not at this stage any statistically significant increase.

This week’s figures run to July 19 – just over two weeks after pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers were allowed to reopen in England on July 4.

They come as face masks are made compulsory in England’s shops – and as gyms and indoor pools prepare to reopen in England from tomorrow.

Today’s data shows the decline in new cases has levelled off “in all regions”.

However, the ONS warned there is a “high uncertainty” in the accuracy of region-by-region results because fewer people are testing positive overall.

“There is not enough evidence to say with confidence that there is a difference in infection rates between regions,” the watchdog added.

Two new parts of England were last night flagged as “areas of intervention” because of a worrying rate of Covid-19 cases.

Luton, Bedfordshire, and Blackburn & Darwen, Lancashire, were all highlighted by Public Health England as being of particular concern.

They join Leicester, which was put into local lockdown over a worrying spike in cases.

But a government source told the Mirror a Leicester-style local lockdown was unlikely in the other two areas at this point.

Instead both areas are expected to freeze any further relaxation of restrictions, such as reopening gyms and leisure centres, rather than shutting down pubs and restaurants.

The source said: “Cases have been shooting up but it is not at Leicester levels. Authorities in both areas have been great, they have really been on top of it.”

Boris Johnson today admitted it may be “the middle of next year” before we are “well past” coronavirus.

The PM’s comments came days after he claimed the nation could return to “normality” by Christmas.

He added: “I do still think that we have tough times ahead in keeping this virus under control. And we have tough times ahead in coming through economically.”