Further 21 covid cases in Harrogate district today

A further 21 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district.

The figure, from Public Health England, brings the total number of positive tests in the district to 3,688 since the start of the pandemic.

Today the number of deaths recorded at Harrogate Hospital since the start of the pandemic rose to 102. The hospital reported two further deaths today which were recorded on December 3 and 4.

The Harrogate district has a seven day rate of 85.2 cases per 100,000. This remains below the seven day rate across North Yorkshire which stands at the 104.7 per 100,000.

The figure for new cases across the UK showed 15,539 positive coronavirus cases.

Read more:

 

Police quiz Harrogate diners over covid rules

Police questioned Harrogate diners on the first day after lockdown yesterday to ensure they were complying with tier two restrictions.

North Yorkshire Police, working alongside staff at Harrogate Borough Council, approached customers in pubs and restaurants.

The Stray Ferret is aware of at least three restaurants in Harrogate that were the subject of inspections.

Read more:

William and Victoria restaurant on Cold Bath Road was among those to receive visits.

David Straker, the owner, told the Stray Ferret he welcomed the patrols:

“I think that they have got to do it and be seen to be doing it.

“I know there are some places locally who say they are going to bend the rules.

“This has been a tough year for everyone. If some places bend the rules then it is not a level playing field.”

The Fat Badger was also visited, and the Stray Ferret is aware of one other that did not wish to be identified.

https://twitter.com/simoncotton69/status/1334213225525678081

Superintendent Mike Walker, the coronavirus lead for North Yorkshire Police, has warned police will step up patrols and use number place recognition cameras to track people coming into the Harrogate district from tier three places, such as Leeds and Bradford.

He also said the police would work with local businesses to ensure they understand the regulations:

“There will be a visible police presence in our day and nighttime economy areas.

“It is our job to engage with the public and sometimes find out the purpose of their journey — especially if we see groups coming into the area.

“We will also work with local businesses to ensure that they understand the tier two regulations and make sure they are operating in a safe way.”

The Stray Ferret approached both North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

Harrogate Borough Council did, however, tweet that officers were in the district last night and will be out tonight and again tomorrow.

Last night, tonight and tomorrow night we will be out and about in the #Harrogate district offering advice and guidance to businesses to ensure customers have a safe and enjoyable visit. pic.twitter.com/B7tTwWaYuF

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) December 3, 2020

Just 20 new coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The number of new coronavirus cases remains low in the Harrogate district, with just 20 infections reported today.

The figure, from Public Health England, brings the total number of positive tests to 3,635 since the start of the pandemic.

The seven-day average number of cases for the district is now 85 per 100,000 people.

The district no longer has the lowest rate in the county, but it is still below North Yorkshire’s average of 103 and England’s average of 146.

Read more:

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any new coronavirus deaths today.

However, the hospital did reach a particularly grim milestone of 100 deaths yesterday after reporting one additional death.

 

Police step up patrols to stop tier three travel to Harrogate district

Police have warned they are stepping up patrols to prevent people from tier three areas travelling into the Harrogate district for the lower restrictions.

North Yorkshire and York entered tier two yesterday. But the surrounding area is in tier three, except for Cumbria.

Restaurants and pubs can open in tier two, if they serve substantial meals; but all hospitality is closed in tier three except for takeaways.

This could tempt people from areas such as Leeds to travel to the district for nights out but North Yorkshire Police has said it is ready to tackle this.

Read more:

Superintendent Mike Walker, the coronavirus lead for North Yorkshire Police, said travel from tier three to lower tier areas is only permitted if deemed necessary, such as for work or education. He added:

“I realise there may be some confusion over what is deemed necessary in these circumstances, so I’d like to be clear here; it is neither necessary or acceptable to leave a tier 3 area and enter a lower tier area for a day trip or to visit a pub or restaurant for a meal.

“Please also be reminded that your tier restrictions travel with you and police can take enforcement action against you,  if you should breach those restrictions.”

Police vehicles with automatic number plate recognition technology will be deployed along with more active patrols, said Superintendent Walker, who added:

“There will be a visible police presence in our day and nighttime economy areas.

“It is our job to engage with the public and sometimes find out the purpose of their journey — especially if we see groups coming into the area.

“We will also work with local businesses to ensure that they understand the tier two regulations and make sure they are operating in a safe way.”

What are the tier two restriction?

Harrogate district health bosses expect ‘long journey’ to tier one

Health bosses in the Harrogate district said today they expect it to be a “long journey” from tier two to tier one.

The government is due to review the tiers every two weeks, which means the first opportunity to change will be on December 16.

But with infection rates in North Yorkshire nearly double those in tier one areas, any hopes of change before Christmas appear slim.

Richard Webb, director of adult social care at the county council, said at a coronavirus media briefing today:

“We need to work really hard to stay at tier two and hopefully reduce in due course to tier one.

“I think the advice that we are getting is that it might be quite a long journey to get out of tier two and into tier one.

“I know there will be some parts of the county that are very anxious to see that change. So we are going to have to continue to work hard to drive infection rates down.”

Read more:

Infection rates have shrunk considerably since the second half of November.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day average rate of infection is now 90 people per 100,000. This is lower than both North Yorkshire and England, whose rates are 104 and 152 respectively.

The R number for the district, which refers to how rapidly the virus is spreading in the community, has fallen again this week from 0.6 to 0.5. This means every 10 people with covid will infect five.

Public Health England reported another 25 cases today.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is by some distance the district’s covid hotspot. It has recorded 27 infections in the last seven days.

The next highest sub-districts are Harrogate West and Pannal and Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith, both of which have had 14.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite actually has the fourth highest number of infections of all the sub-districts in North Yorkshire.

 

 

Harrogate hospital reports 100th coronavirus death

Harrogate District Hospital today recorded its 100th coronavirus death since the start of the pandemic.

The grim milestone comes on the day England ended its second lockdown.

The hospital reported its first coronavirus death on March 16.

NHS England figures out this afternoon revealed the latest death happened at the hospital on Monday.

Read more:

The hospital is currently caring for 22 coronavirus patients, which is nine fewer than the same time last week.

North Yorkshire is well below the England seven-day average rate of infection at 107 per 100,000 people, compared to 154 per 100,000 nationally.

The Harrogate district has the lowest rate in North Yorkshire at 92 per 100,000. Selby is the highest with 134.6 per 100,000.

 

Harrogate district ready for coronavirus vaccine rollout

Health bosses for the Harrogate district have welcomed news of a coronavirus vaccine and say they are ready to roll it out locally.

The UK is the first western nation to approve a vaccine, which was developed by Pfizer-Biontech and is up to 95% effective.

It poses a major logistical challenge, not only because of the sheer numbers that need the vaccine but also as it needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Centigrade.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for the three North Yorkshire clinical commissioning groups, which commission health products, said at a coronavirus press briefing this morning:

“We are working across the system and planning in real time to take stock of the vaccine as it become available next week.

“I think we should be optimistic and are right to be delighted. We will work through the plans that we have put in place over the last few weeks.

“There are a lot of logistics around it in terms of moving the vaccine around, getting it where it needs to be and then getting people in the right place.”

The briefing did not provide details of how the programme would be administered in the district but the first vaccines are likely to be injected in the main hospitals before Nightingale hospitals and GPs also get involved.

Care homes residents and care home staff are top of the list, followed by people aged over 80 and other healthcare staff.

A total of 800,000 doses are expected to be distributed next week but it is unclear how many will be awarded to each local area.

Read more:

Ms Bloor spoke at a weekly media briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of organisations that tackle emergencies in the county.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine after a process known as a “rolling review”.

Scientists reviewed the data as it became available in order to approve it as soon as possible.

Dr June Raine, chief executive at the MHRA, said:

“Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. They save millions of lives worldwide.”

Harrogate district covid rates fall by two-thirds during lockdown

The Harrogate district is set to end the second lockdown with a far lower rate of covid than when it started.

Government figures today reveal the district has an average seven-day rate of infection of 92 people per 100,000, compared with 277 people per 100,000 on November 5.

This means the rate has fallen by about two-thirds since lockdown began.

The England average is currently 154 and the North Yorkshire average is 107.

The R number has fallen from a peak of 1.6 last month to 0.6 today. This means every 10 people with covid will infect another six.

Public Health England recorded another 18 positive test results today, which is well below the 95 on November 9.

Read more:

There were no further deaths reported today at either Harrogate District Hospital or in the district’s care homes.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the district’s covid hotspot, with 26 infections in the last seven days.

The next highest is Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith with 18.

Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley, Masham, Kirkby Malzeard and North Stainley and Ripon North and West have not recorded a single new infection for at least seven days.

 

Harrogate district restaurants tables filling up fast

Restaurants in the Harrogate district have seen their tables fill up fast as the national lockdown comes to an end.

Eateries will be able to open their doors for the first time tomorrow after a month under the new tier two rules.

With strict rules forbidding Christmas parties and household mixing they do not expect to see anywhere near the same takings as in the summer.

However, many are already seeing the results of pent up demand of a month.

Read more:

John Roberts, the owner of The Tannin Level in Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret that the phones started ringing as soon as the area made it into tier two:

“We are filling up fairly quickly now which is great. The weekends are looking very busy already over the next three weeks.

“It will be interesting to see how the weekdays in December, which are normally occupied by Christmas parties, will perform.”

Vivien Kovacs, one of the owners at Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Knaresborough, added:

“The business has been fine over lockdown because we have done takeaways. We are now preparing to open tomorrow.

“We will not be able to serve the same numbers of people because of the stricter rules but we are hoping for a good December.”

Rick Jones, who is one of the owners of Valentino’s and the Water Rat, also told the Stray Ferret:

“It looks like this first week back will be a busy one, it’s already looking quite full. The restrictions will limit the number of people we can serve.

“We will not see similar takings over December compared to previous years but we are just happy to see people and to cook.”

North Yorkshire will come out of lockdown just after midnight tonight. Here is a breakdown of the new rules.

The new tier two restrictions gives hope for the restaurants and hotels but wet-led pubs that cannot serve a “substantial meal” will need to stay closed.

Just 14 coronavirus cases in Harrogate district today

Coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district have continued to fall as the end of the second lockdown approaches.

Public Health England reported just 14 additional cases in the district today, down from a peak of 95 on November 9.

The Harrogate district now has the lowest infection rate of the seven district and borough council regions in North Yorkshire.

Its seven-day average rate is 97 cases per 100,000 people, which is also well below the England average of 160 per 100,000.

Read more:

Selby has the highest rate in North Yorkshire at 155 cases per 100,000 people, which is still below the national average.

The R number in the district has also fallen to 0.6. Any number below one means the spread of the virus is declining.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any additional coronavirus deaths.

The hospital has recorded 99 covid deaths since the start of the pandemic. The last death was recorded over the weekend but happened on Thursday last week,