As Lambton prepares to move into lockdown because of rising COVID-19 rates, word Saturday morning there was another large increase in the cases in the community.

Statistics from Lambton Public Health show 39 more people have tested positive for the virus. There are 170 people actively ill with the virus.

Saturday and Sunday in Alvinston, a special drive thru testing unit is being operated to help people from the Brooke Central School family. At last word six students tested positive for the virus – two of those tests are linked to fast spreading variants. Public Health closed the school Wednesday at noon. Students will be learning from home until March 25.

Sarah Milner, executive director of the Central Lambton Family Health Team, is one of the people heading up the drive thru testing. She says about 160 people had already registered and cars of single people and families were moving quickly through the lines at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Arena Saturday morning.

Brooke Central is one of three schools in outbreak right now. There are also three long term care homes with employees who have tested positive putting them in outbreak status as well.

The provincial government will move Lambton into lockdown Monday, once again restricting businesses and gatherings.

There will be no indoor gathers with anyone outside of your households. Restaurants return to take out only food service. Personal services like hair salons are closed again, as are gyms and arenas.

The province announced Friday there will be changes to the regulations around religious gatherings in lockdown. Services can now fill up to 15 per cent of the capacity of the church when in lockdown.

Across the province, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 again rose with 1,468 people testing positive up from over 1,300 Friday.