Harrogate coronavirus deaths in care homes overtake hospital

Harrogate’s care homes have now reported more coronavirus deaths than the hospital.

Up to May 22, care homes have recorded 72 coronavirus deaths. It’s an increase of 12 deaths from the previous week’s figures in care homes compared to an increase of four deaths in the hospital.

Harrogate District Hospital has just gone six days without reporting any new coronavirus deaths until today’s NHS figures.

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Up to June 2, the hospital has reported 66 deaths. So, even with the lag in data of ten days, care homes have reported more deaths.

What is being done to help care homes?

North Yorkshire County Council recently said it was stepping up its support to care homes for the 235 care homes in its area.

The council will support struggling care homes with staffing, PPE, infection control, safe hospital discharge, and more.

Nurseries in Harrogate district reopen after lockdown

Children’s nurseries across the Harrogate district reopened on Monday, with new arrangements in place to ensure the safety of children, parents and staff.

Busy Bees, which has four nurseries in Harrogate and one in Ripon, confirmed that all five opened yesterday, with health and safety plans in place that address the issues raised by Covid-19.

While there was no playdough, sandpits, or water games, staff were on hand to provide outdoor play in smaller groups, with no floor markings for children’s play areas or timed toilet breaks.

A spokesperson for Busy Bees, said children were not required to play in hoops, as some schools suggested may be required and pointed out that instead:

“The focus was on dividing children into close friendship groups, limiting the number of people children come into contact with, reducing the space that they can explore and increasing the time spent outdoors.”

The safety arrangements involve temperature checks for all children and staff on arrival and throughout the day; two metres social distancing for family members at drop off and pickup times, frequent hand-washing and disinfecting of communal areas.

At all times, the aim of the nursery’s staff is to keep life as close to normal as possible for children; give cuddles if they become upset during the day and to only wear face masks for temperature checks.

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The nursery, which has kept more than 100 of its centres open throughout the  coronavirus crisis to support key worker families and vulnerable children, has looked to its colleagues in Australia, North America and in particular south-east Asia for learning, and is confident its measures protect families in its care.

Emily Brimson-Keight, head of safety at Busy Bees, said:

“We are constantly sharing ideas and looking at best practice to ensure the personal and emotional wellbeing for children and team members.”

 

 

 

Primark announces it will reopen Harrogate store

Primark’s Harrogate store is set to reopen on June 15 after more than 10 weeks of closure due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The company is among the first non-essential chain outlets to announce it will reopen a week on Monday as lockdown measures are eased.

Bosses at the company announced that it is working to reopen all 153 stores across England with extensive social distancing measures in place. Under government guidelines, non-essential retail stores, such as clothes shops and electronic outlets, will be able to reopen from June 15.

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Social distancing measures will include limited customers in store, hand sanitiser for shoppers and Perspex screens at tills to protect staff. Every second till in stores will be closed and face masks and gloves will be made available to Primark employees.

Paul Marchant, chief executive at Primark, said the company wanted to ensure that stores were safe for both staff and customers:

“We know that life for our customers is going to look different for a while. We want our stores to be safe and reassuring places to shop and work. While it might take a little longer to get into our stores, once inside, customers will find all their favourite Primark products and we have worked hard to make sure that clear signage and extra help will be there to guide them through the changes we have made to allow for social distancing. 

“We will adopt all government safety advice as a minimum in our stores and have benefited from our experience in the other markets in Europe where we have already opened successfully. As we open, we will continue to look at best practice across the retail sector and amend our measures appropriately. 

“I would like to thank all of our colleagues and partners for the commitment, strength and resilience they have shown through these challenging times.” 

Harrogate meals on wheels team awarded highest honour by Queen

The Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels are going to be cracking open the champagne later today after being granted the Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2020. It’s the highest award a volunteer group can be given.

The Food Angels, which was set up by Harrogate Neighbours, has provided hot meals for the most vulnerable people in Harrogate and Ripon since 2012.

The non-profit organisation of 75 volunteers have delivered over 150 hot meals every day to the elderly as well as to those unable to prepare meals for themselves.

The Harrogate and Ripon Angels will receive a crystal award, along with a signed certificate from the Queen. Two volunteers have also been invited to the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021.

Sue Cawthray the CEO of Harrogate Neighbours, said:

“We’re delighted to have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. To be recognised to this degree is testament to our incredible volunteers who work tirelessly to deliver such an important service into our community…I am so thankful to the team at Harrogate Neighbours and the volunteers who continue to selflessly risk their lives to help others.”

The Queens Award for Voluntary Service is given to volunteer groups across the UK who have carried out outstanding work in their local community. The Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels were nominated by Sarah Barry, Managing Director at Stray FM.

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Police commissioner urges responsibility after weekend lockdown breaches

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has urged residents to remember the potential consequences of flouting lockdown guidelines.

Julia Mulligan’s warning comes after a weekend which saw groups gathering to drink along West Park, resulting in one pub being issued with a prohibition order.

She said police were doing all they could to respond to public concern but were only able to disperse large gatherings:

“The police have no powers to deal with breaches of social distancing – that’s public health advice. Part of the problem is the public expect the police to deal with it, but the police don’t have the power.”

Harrogate’s Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Penny Taylor said officers had spent a busy weekend engaging with the public and explaining the importance of following regulations, as well as assisting Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing team at two pubs. She said:

“Personal responsibility is now key to controlling the virus and while the police cannot enforce social distancing guidance, we urge people to remember that although some of the restrictions have been relaxed, the virus has not gone away, you can still catch it and pass it on to your family and friends.

“Thankfully, the vast majority of the public continue to do their bit and follow guidance which means our officers have rarely had to enforce the Government regulations.”

While six people have been allowed to meet outside from today, over the weekend the rules remained that people could only meet with one other person from outside their household. Ms Mulligan said the announcement that rules were going to change this week probably led to a greater number of people feeling safe to go out over the weekend and meet more people.

“I’m sure that’s actually what they thought. It puts the police in a very difficult set of circumstances, to have to deal with that. In a way, the lockdown was easier to enforce.”

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She said the government’s guidance had been sufficiently clear but it was trying to balance the need to get the economy moving again against the risk to people’s health. In many cases, she said, problems being reported to the police were in fact for other agencies to deal with, such as local authorities with licensing breaches.

Julia Mulligan, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

As well as central Harrogate, North Yorkshire Police said crowds were out in “unprecedented numbers” in Knaresborough at Conyngham Hall and the riverside, as well as Brimham Rocks. Outer Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Steve Breen said:

“Our officers reported the vast majority of people were acting responsibly and we thank them for their continued efforts over the past two months.

“The overarching aim of the police response has always been to keep people as safe as possible, and encourage them to follow the regulations, reducing the transmission of the virus and protecting lives but it is up to members of the public to ensure that they are following the social distance guidance.”

With cooler temperatures forecast over the coming days, Ms Mulligan said she is hopeful that the scenes reported over the weekend will not be repeated. However, she said it was important for all authorities to work together, especially as people who have been kept in lockdown for weeks or months want to get out and are limited in the options available.

“I would like to see a more strategic approach to dealing with some of the issues we’ve encountered. A more coordinated approach amongst local authorities, working more closely not just on the ground with policing colleagues, but at a planning level to try and come up with a more robust way to deal with these issues. If this goes on all summer and people can’t get away on holiday, I am concerned.”

She added:

“I just want people to remember there’s a killer virus out there and the last thing we want is a second wave.”

Harrogate MP writes to media bosses to seek assurances over Stray FM

Andrew Jones has written to the parent company of Stray FM to seek reassurances over the radio station’s future.

In a post on his website, the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP said he was “disappointed” that Bauer Media’s “winning formula is set to change.”

Bauer announced five days ago that Stray FM, which has covered the district since 1994, will come off the air and become Greatest Hits Radio. There will be a regional drivetime show for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire but the majority of the programming will follow the national schedule.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Last week, there was a huge outcry on social media from people who have fond memories of the radio station.

That led the Liberal Democrats to launch a petition last week calling for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national radio station.

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Mr Jones said:

“It’s local, it’s interesting, it’s current and it’s presented by people we know and trust. But it’s more than that. It is a radio station that supports local events and charities. It’s a station that supports the community and the community repays this by supporting the station.”

Six days at Harrogate hospital with no coronavirus deaths

For the sixth day in a row, Harrogate District Hospital has not reported a coronavirus death.

It is a positive story for the hospital, where 64 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died so far.

Meanwhile across England’s hospitals, a further 108 people have died, bringing the total number up to 26,722.

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Patients were aged between 29 and 99 years old. 16 of the 108 patients, who were aged between 48 and 94, had no known underlying health conditions.

On Thursday last week, the hospital reported a total of 109 patients had recovered from coronavirus and been discharged.

Harrogate pub ‘breached lockdown rules repeatedly’

A Harrogate pub, which invited customers for takeaway food and drinks, breached the lockdown rules repeatedly over the weekend.

Harrogate Borough Council sent its enforcement team to two pubs on Saturday and reported that people were breaking the rules.

It gave advice to the licensees of both pubs and reminded them of the law.

The next day the Coach and Horses opened again and followed the initial advice before, the council says it committed a further breach of regulations.

As a result, the officers served the pub with a prohibition notice.

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When the officers were on site they were also subjected to verbal abuse from customers.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“While pubs are allowed to offer take away food (which may include alcoholic drink), they are not permitted to operate any kind of beer ‘garden’ on their property. This includes putting tables or chairs on, or anywhere adjacent to, their premises for customers to use. We will take all necessary enforcement action if a business breaks the current coronavirus lockdown legislation.”

Harrogate pub owners say they followed rules after crowds gathered outside

The owners of Three’s a Crowd and the Coach and Horses on West Park Stray said they followed government guidelines when they opened over the weekend to sell take-out beer.

On Saturday afternoon crowds outside the two pubs led Harrogate police to urge the public to stick to social distancing as people blocked the pavements and were not keeping 2 metres apart.  It led to a large amount of concern on social media that people are giving up on the rules.

John Quinlan of Three’s a Crowd told The Stray Ferret that safety was their priority:

We worked with the North Yorkshire police to monitor social distancing and they were supportive and helpful throughout. Helping us maintain the safety of our guests within the boundaries of our pub.
The majority of our guests were sensible and followed the social distancing measures set out with only a few that decided to ignore these. With the Stray being closed directly opposite and people beginning to congregate we decided to close early and stop serving, asking people to disband.
Mr Quinlan said his staff had cleaned up the street and public bins of any litter afterwards. Three’s a Crowd did not open on Sunday.

Tables and chairs put on the grass verge of the Stray for drinkers at The Coach and Horses on Sunday

At the Coach and Horses, owner John Nelson, said the pub had opened up as a garden centre selling plants and refreshments with all proceeds going to local charity, Horticap. Mr Nelson opened the pub again on Sunday. Inside dozens of plants lined the one-way system that snaked through to the bar where staff served behind a plastic shield. Mr Nelson said:
“You can go to Waitrose and buy a can and sit on the Stray and drink it or you can come here and buy a drink and do the same thing. The only difference is that every penny we take is going to Horticap. Saturday was the first day and a one point it did get crowded outside. You learn – today we’ve put chairs up on the other side of the road so that the pavement outside is free and we’ve put an extra barrier outside.
I have a licence to sell beer either on and off the property- what rules am I breaking?”

Whether Mr Nelson will be allowed to keep his chairs and tables on the other side of the road though, remains to be seen.

Five consecutive days with no covid death recorded at Harrogate Hospital

For the fifth consecutive day there have been no reported deaths at Harrogate District Hospital of patients who tested positive for covid-19. A total of 64 patients have died at the hospital of the virus since the start of the pandemic.

A further 85 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died- 25 in Yorkshire and the North East. The total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England is 26,614.

Patients were aged between 56 and 100 years old.  Six of the 85 patients had no known underlying health condition.

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On Thursday the hospital reported a total of 109 patients, who tested positive for coronavirus, had recovered and been discharged – an increase of five on the previous week.