COUNCIL bosses have urged residents to stick to the coronavirus guidelines following an exponential increase in Essex s infection rate. Essex County Council says its latest figures show the average infection rate across the county is now 305.3 cases per 100,000 people. This is an increase of 79 per cent from a week ago. Nearly every area of Essex has seen a significant increase in the rate of Covid, with the total number of cases rising to 4,547 in the seven days up to 10 December. Cases are very high in specific age groups, with the rates for people over 60 now standing at 140 per 100,000 - an increase of 37% in the past week.