LONDON, United Kingdom (AP) — The British government on Tuesday faced pressure to act fast to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the UK that has been largely blamed on party-going young adults disregarding social distancing.

Daily new coronavirus infections have risen sharply recently, dipping Tuesday to 2,420 after hitting nearly 3,000 the previous two days. The rise is prompting British government to consider tightening some restrictions, such as reducing the number of people gathering indoors in England from the current limit of 30.

Government ministers and scientists took to the airways to urge Britons not to let down their guard.

“We’ve been able to relax a bit over the summer … but these latest figures really show us that much as people might like to say ‘Oh well, it’s gone away’ — this hasn’t gone away,” said Dr Jonathan Van-Tam, the government’s deputy chief medical officer.

He said while the rise in infections is “much more marked” among people between 17 and 21, he was concerned about a “more general and creeping geographic trend” across the UK.

“People have relaxed too much,” he said. “Now is the time for us to re-engage and realise that this is a continuing threat.”

The UK has Europe’s worst death toll from the virus, with nearly 41,600 deaths within 28 days of testing positive. The actual toll is believed to be far higher as the government tally does not include those who died without having been tested.

The spike in UK cases follows big daily case increases in Spain and France, both of which have seen rising numbers of COVID-19 patients being hospitalised. Spain saw an average of 8,800 new cases a day over the weekend, and France has been recording over 5,000 a day.

A local lockdown, meanwhile, went into effect Tuesday in the Welsh district of Caerphilly. Under the new restrictions, people will not be allowed to enter or leave the area without a reasonable excuse, everyone over 11 must wear masks in shops and indoor meetings between different households are banned.

Hancock also announced new lockdown restrictions for Bolton, a city in northwest England that has the highest number of per capita coronavirus cases in the UK. Most new cases there involve people between 18 and 49. Among the restrictions, Hancock said restaurants, cafes and pubs in Bolton now can only offer takeaway services.