The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen again today.

It now stands at 1,211 infections per 100,000 people, compared with 1,286 yesterday and 1,487 two days ago.

However, it remains above the North Yorkshire and England averages, which stand at 1,120 and 1,132 respectively.

Today’s figures, from the UK Health Security Agency, show that the district recorded a further 244 infections.

The latest figure for the number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital is 27. The number is an increase from 23 on last week.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

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Harrogate country sports shop Orvis is set to close as part of a major restructure of the business.

Orvis, which sells clothes for men and women, fly-fishing gear, dog accessories and walking items. has had a store in Harrogate for about 25 years. It was on Parliament Street before moving to its current site on West Park, which is currently operating a closing down sale.

The US-owned company confirmed that the Harrogate store, which has about eight members of staff, will remain open until the end of March.

Orvis has 18 shops in the UK and it is believed all but one, at Stockbridge near Reading, will close.

The company will re-focus on online sales, particularly fly-fishing equipment.

Orvis was founded in Vermont in 1856 by Charles F Orvis.

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Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus.

The hospital reported the death on Tuesday, according to NHS England figures. It takes the covid-related death toll at the hospital to 205.

Today’s figures from the UK Health Security Agency show that another 326 infections have been recorded in the Harrogate district.

Meanwhile, government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,487 per 100,000 people, down on yesterday’s figure of 1,527.

It remains below both the county average, which is 1,475, and the England rate is also 1,475.

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The data also shows that 105,412 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

Today, health bosses in North Yorkshire have sought to address fears from people who are hesitant to get the vaccine, in particular pregnant women.

‘Super-volunteer’ George Simpson – who has given over 1,500 hours of his time to the Knaresborough vaccination centre programme since it began in March 2021. Homecare Pharmacy vaccinator Janice John (in pink vest). Chain Lane Community Hub director Sue Vasey.

Dr Cath Dixon, executive chair and clinical lead of the Yorkshire Health Network a Federation of the 17 GP practices in the Harrogate district, said:

“Getting a covid vaccine is one of the most important things a pregnant woman can do this year to keep herself and her baby as safe from this virus as possible.

“There is now extensive evidence to show that the vaccines are safe and that the risks posed by covid to mum and baby are far greater. If any mums-to-be are having doubts about vaccination, I would urge them to talk to their midwife or doctor.”

Meanwhile, Knaresborough covid vaccination centre, based at Chain Lane Community Hub, administered its 125,000th jab today.

Officials at the centre reported that 40,000 of its vaccines which were given in November and December alone.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has recruited 40 military personnel to offer additional support as it experiences “operational pressures” during the pandemic.

The service said as a result of the Omicron variant it is facing rising numbers of staff going into isolation and calls for help from the public.

This has forced the service to redeploy remaining staff to frontline services and bring in military support for less urgent jobs.

The 40 military personal will be working alongside paramedics to attend minor cases and assist with hospital transfers and discharges.

Nick Smith, executive director of operations, said:

“As part of our resilience planning, we have always had the option of making a request to the military for help and we have now asked for that assistance.

“We will be able to use military personnel to work alongside our staff, enabling us to support patients and get people the treatment they need sooner. This, in turn, will free up our staff to attend to serious and life-threatening cases.”

The new recruits will begin training with the ambulance service next week and are expected to start working with patients within a fortnight.

They will receive training in driving ambulances, manual handling, kit familiarisation and basic life support.

The service has insisted it is still “fully operational” and said it expects the military will assist paramedics for a “number of weeks”.

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The ambulance service is also temporarily suspending some non-emergency transport to general outpatient appointments.

It will, however, continue to offer transport to patients receiving life-saving treatment, such as renal dialysis or chemotherapy, treatment for covid, those being discharged or admitted to hospital or transferred between hospital sites.

The Harrogate district’s covid rate has fallen slightly, as 387 positive covid infections were reported today.

Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,527 per 100,000 people, down on yesterday’s figure of 1,533.

It remains below both the county average, which is 1,572, and the England rate of 1,592.

While the rate in the district has fallen, Amanda Bloor, accountable officer of the county’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, said it was “too soon to say with certainty” that infections are now levelling off.

Ms Bloor said while the rates were down overall, cases were climbing in older age groups and that this was a worry for under pressure hospitals.

She also said recent challenges around testing could be depressing the true rates of infection.

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Ms Bloor said:

“Now is certainly not the time for complacency.

“The level of covid in our communities remains staggeringly high and regrettably, as the prevalence of covid spills over into older and more vulnerable parts of our society, we are beginning to see large numbers of people in North Yorkshire hospitalised with coronavirus.”

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

According to government figures, 105,178 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

Latest figure show that the number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital remains at 23.

Harrogate district taxi drivers are calling for a 5% increase in taxi fares to help cover soaring fuel prices and a decline in earnings due to covid.

“Please help us” is one of several messages sent from taxi drivers to Harrogate Borough Council, which will hold a licensing meeting on Wednesday next week to consider the request.

It comes after 2021 saw record costs for both petrol and diesel in the UK, with diesel hitting prices of over £1.50 per litre for the first time in history.

Local cabbies also said rises in vehicle prices and parts and the climbing cost of living had contributed to them asking for a fare increase.

One taxi driver told the council:

“It is sometimes very difficult to strike the correct balance between what is a reasonable fare increase and keeping our loyal customers happy.

“That said, we have witnessed in the past six months an increase of more than 30% in our fuel costs alone and there is a lot of talk that fuel could reach £2 per litre by mid 2022.”

Another said:

“Since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in customers paying by card which attracts card reader fees. Due to card payments there has also been a very significant loss of tips.”

The request from taxi drivers is for a 5% rise on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, as well as an increase in starting prices £3.40 to £3.60.

Harrogate district taxis among the most expensive

According to national trade newspaper Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, the Harrogate district is currently ranked as the 31st most expensive council area in the UK, charging £7 at 2 miles.

And if approved, the proposed 5% rise would move the district to 14th in the table.

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However, taxi drivers have argued Harrogate’s position is not as high for journeys above the two-mile mark.

In November, there were warnings that as many as 50 taxi drivers in the district had quit during the previous lockdowns and that many have now found new jobs with little desire to return to the trade.

This came shortly before the council froze taxi licence fees for the second year running due to the impacts of the pandemic.

Speaking at the time, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Whether we will get a new set of drivers coming to replace the 50 we have lost – only time will tell.”

Low response to consultation

Mr Bentley said in a report to next Wednesday’s meeting that a consultation on the proposed fare increase had been held with 500 taxi drivers, although the response rate was low with only 30 drivers taking part.

He also said while the council’s licensing committee would consider the rise request at the meeting, it would be the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, who would make the final decision.

Mr Bentley added:

“The setting of fares is a statutory duty placed upon the council and it is the council’s responsibility to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver.”

The Harrogate district’s covid rate remains stable despite 428 positive covid infections reported today.

Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,533 per 100,000 people, up on yesterday’s figure of 1,467.

It remains below both the county average, which is 1,618, and the England rate of 1,674.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

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According to government figures, 104,951 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

Latest figure show that the number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital remains at 23.

A leading Harrogate hotelier has said the hospitality sector grew “fat and lazy” on cheap labour from Europe and has been forced to pay better.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park, said some bar and kitchen staff were now earning £13.70 an hour and could earn almost £29,000 a year for a 40-hour week if they were prepared to work anti-social hours.

Mr Banks’ comments came during a speech at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce last night about the lessons of covid.

He said the sector had suffered from the impact of lockdowns and ‘furloughitis’, whereby staff that had spent eight months of the year being paid 80% of their wages by government had reappraised their lives and decided against a career in hospitality.

Staff recruitment and retention, he added, was now a “serious issue” and had forced pay increases. He said Rudding Park now paid an extra £1 an hour for working after 7pm and an extra £2 an our for working weekends.

The hotel has also introduced service charges for the first time, further boosting staff wages, he added. Mr Banks said:

“We have grown fat and lazy on cheap labour from Europe. Whether you are a Brexiteer or not, the rules have changed. We are not going back.

“It’s no good raging against covid. It’s no good raging against Brexit. We’ve just got to get on with it.”

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‘Thrown under a bus’

Mr Banks said Prime Minister Boris Johnson “threw us under a bus” during the first lockdown in March 2020 as hotels were forced to close without any support.

Rudding Park came within weeks of closing, said Mr Banks, adding that he told all 320 staff the business might survive until July if they accepted a 40% pay cut.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak then “rode to the rescue’ by introducing the furlough scheme, Mr Banks added.

He said the two years since has been a rollercoaster ride of adaptation.

Mr Banks said Rudding Park no longer accepted cash, which required three person days a week to count. It had also centralised ordering food “because we had five different kitchens and five different chefs ordering their own stock”.

He advised others in hospitality to “stretch the rules a bit, don’t just sit their passively and be creative”. He added:

“Don’t waste a good crisis. there’s always something you can learn from it.”

A Harrogate man who could only watch the funerals of his friends online has hit out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson over reports he attended a party around the same time.

Patrick Milne could not attend the funeral of a friend’s child who died with cancer at a young age or a colleague who died from an accident at home during the initial lockdown in 2020.

The UK was under strict rules at the time. People could only meet in pairs outdoors and had to stay two metres apart.

Around that time, according to a report from ITV News, the PM’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds sent out an invitation for drinks in the Number 10 garden to more than a hundred employees.

The PM Boris Johnson allegedly attended that party along with his wife Carrie Johnson.

There has been considerable coverage of the issue since the Daily Mirror claimed on November 30 that the PM and his staff broke coronavirus rules by attending parties at Number 10 in the run-up to Christmas in 2020.

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Mr Milne told the Stray Ferret:

“The numbers of people who could attend funerals were severely limited so only close family could attend. They also had to be completed in around 15 minutes.

“So it was just too much to see more evidence of these parties at Downing Street. It is even more difficult to listen to the tsunami of lies from Boris Johnson and the cabinet.

“People are angry because it is clear there was one rule for them and no rules for those in power. It’s painful to see.”

He also sent his concerns to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and urged him to speak out on the matter. Mr Jones has not yet responded to Mr Milne or a request for comment by the Stray Ferret.

Mr Jones said in early December that clarity was needed and called for the official report to be published as soon as possible.

Update: During an emergency debate in Parliament today, Mr Jones asked paymaster general Michael Ellis for a specific date as to when the report will be published. He was only told that it would be a “swift” investigation.

Another 315 positive covid infections have been reported today in the Harrogate district.

Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,467 per 100,000 people, slightly up on yesterday’s figure of 1,428.

It remains below both the county average, which is 1,583. The England rate is 1,672.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

According to government figures, 104,727 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

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Meanwhile, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has said the supply of covid tests is improving after complaints that the system is in “chaos”, with health workers and residents left empty-handed.

Conservative MP Mr Smith said the government recognised there has been a surge in demand for tests and that while supply chains were improving, he would write to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to highlight the issue.