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13
Mar 2020
This afternoon has seen a succession of announcements as the coronavirus crisis deepens.
Public Health England announced that the number of people testing positive in North Yorkshire to coronavirus has risen to 4.
Harrogate Town’s match against Solihull Moors tonight has been called off after staff went into self isolation. The Club released a statement this afternoon:
Local and mayoral elections in England will be postponed for a year. The Police and Crime Commissioner elections in North Yorkshire to replace the existing Conservative, Julia Mulligan, were to be held in May.
Elkie Brooks’s appearance at the Royal Hall has also been called off after the singer had a sore throat during rehearsals and was advised to rest. This is not thought to be related to coronavirus.
So far, two HCC events have been postponed by organisers, though one had not got a full contract in place before changing its plans. The next major event in the calendar is the Conservative Party Spring Forum on 3rd and 4th April, though there are other concerts and single-date events before then.
Meanwhile, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language has announced that its April conference in Manchester will instead be held in Harrogate next March. It will bring 3,000 delegates from 100 countries for its four-day programme.
While the short-term changes are keeping her busy, Ms Lorimer is also keen to ensure her plans to redevelop and build up the convention centre are not affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
“I’ve got to make sure this venue is in a fantastic place so, when we come out of this, we’re in a first-class position,” she said.
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