Harrogate BID has created social distancing posters to help customers keep two metres apart ahead of shops reopening in June.

The series of posters, called “Harrogate Welcomes You”, will be made available for free to all businesses in the town.

The “Harrogate Welcomes You” pack will be made available to businesses.

It comes as car showrooms will reopen from Monday and non-essential shops, such as clothes stores and electronic outlets, will open on June 15.

The pack provided by the BID will include a window graphic, six posters, six floor two metre stickers and six queue stickers.

Floor stickers will help to show customers where to stand two metres apart.

Harrogate BID Interim Manager Simon Kent said:

“We have used the slogan ‘Harrogate Welcomes You’ which is a simple, yet powerful, message which we believe will strike a chord with businesses and customers alike.

“With the town gradually coming back to life in the next couple of weeks, these packs will be available, free of charge, for all businesses within the BID district.

“They have been designed to work in any businesses environment, be it shops or offices, and as well as reminding people what they should be doing to minimise the risk of contracting Covid-19, they include the strong welcoming message.”

There have been no new recorded deaths of patients who tested positive for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital.

Yesterday the hospital said a total of 109 patients who tested positive for coronavirus had recovered and been discharged – an increase of five since last week.

Today’s figures showed a further 149 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,383.

Patients were aged between 35 and 101 years old. 11 of the 149 patients had no known underlying health condition.

WATCH: Harrogate’s Lady Mayoress pays tribute to the staff at Harrogate District Hospital who saved her life

Harrogate businesses have been urged not to leave disabled shoppers behind as they gear up to reopen in the coming weeks.

Disability Action Yorkshire has called on companies to put in place measures to help disabled people shop safely and published guidance to follow.

It comes as car showrooms will be able to reopen on Monday and other non-essential stores, including clothes shops and electronics outlets, will open on June 15.

Among the measures suggested by the charity include widening aisles, clear signage at a height for wheelchair users and discretion on the limited people in a shop rule for those who need a companion to support them.

The charity has also suggested putting chairs out for queues at stores where there is likely to be a long wait.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire, called on businesses to bear disabled customers in mind when they put plans in place.

She said:

“As we gently ease through lockdown many businesses, shops and hospitality venues are thinking about making the necessary adjustments to make their premises, routes and spaces as safe for as many people as possible.

“We are asking that, when making those vital plans, you consider disabled customers. ‘Shop local’ is a message we hear a lot and we want to ensure that when disabled people cone into town they can do so in comfort and safety.

“Whilst it’s not an exhaustive list, we hope businesses find these suggestions both useful and beneficial.

“We would also ask disabled people to get in touch with us if they have other suggestions, as we know there’s going to be a lot of things worrying people that we haven’t considered.”

A total of 109 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have recovered and been discharged from Harrogate District Hospital – and increase of five since last week.

The latest news, announced this afternoon, comes as the hospital also reports no new deaths in patients with Covid-19, in today’s NHS figures.

It means the total number of deaths at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust remains at 64.

#teamHDFT #ThankYouNHS pic.twitter.com/tHE24r6oMU

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) May 28, 2020

Meanwhile, the NHS has reported a further 185 patients in England who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in hospital. Patients were between 28 and 99 years old, and five of those who died had no known underlying health conditions.

The figures mean the number of deaths in hospitals nationally has increased to 26,234.

The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, she says she’s received a call yesterday evening from the city’s MP Julian Smith.

Dr Hartley, told The Stray Ferret that ” it was good of him to be in touch” but did not want to share more details of the conversation.

The call from Mr Smith came at the end of a day which saw the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin, and two of his mayoral predecessors Councillor Pauline McHardy and Councillor Stuart Martin all united in their condemnation of an email to the Bishop that read, ‘keep out of politics, or it will be the death of you’.

This death threat and similarly-worded threats made to the Bishop of Newcastle Christine Hardman and John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, have been reported to the police in their respective diocese.

The Bishop, who took over her role in Ripon in 2018, received a number of hateful messages, alongside ones of support, after saying in a tweet that she disagreed with the way in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson had condoned the actions of his key adviser Dominic Cummings, who travelled 260 miles with his wife and young son from London to Durham at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Cummings has subsequently come under fire from almost 40 Conservative MPs, who  have found his actions unacceptable and called for him to be dismissed. Among those making that call is Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

Following our initial story on Tuesday, the majority of Stray Ferret readers posting on Facebook, said they supported the bishop and her right to speak on the impact that politics has on people’s lives.

Dr Hartley, said:

“I am encouraged by the kind words that I have read and heard.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to give its commercial tenants three months rent free is set to land local taxpayers with a £200,000 bill.

A report to council leader, Richard Cooper, and Cllr Graham Swift, executive member for economy, at the authority’s urgent cabinet meeting in March detailed the cost of the decision before it was approved by senior councillors.

Since then, the authority has seen its debt from the coronavirus outbreak spiral from an estimated £10 million to £15 million and is now considering furloughing staff to address the shortfall.

While most local authorities decided to defer rents for local companies, the borough council opted to wave them completely for its tenants.

Unlike other businesses, council tenants have had a double dose of public money with many applying for emergency government grants on top of a rent free period. It leaves the authority facing questions over whether the decision was a good use of taxpayer money or not when the cost of the pandemic is revealed.

One council tenant, who did not wish to be named, said that they knew of at least one fellow council tenant which was still operating and that most of the smaller businesses will have applied for the government’s £10,000 grant.

They said they were given no advanced notice of the decision until they received an e-mail to inform them of the rent free period.

They said: “I was shocked and could not believe it, nobody asked for it.

“Obviously I am pleased, but I wonder if it might have been better if they found out those businesses who cannot get the grant and supported them.”

At the time of the decision, a joint statement from Cllr Cooper and chief executive Wallace Sampson said the authority wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

Earlier this month, some landlords described the decision as “unnecessary” at a time when the council is considering furloughing some of its staff in the future to help make ends meet.

Meanwhile, Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the council, said she felt the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been asked whether it intends to extend the rent free period, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Businesses in Knaresborough are preparing social distancing measures as some shops in the town gear up to reopen next month.

A range of measures designed to help shops in Knaresborough reopen safely are set be introduced following a Knaresborough Chamber of Trade initiative.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that non-essential shops, including clothes stores and electronic outlets, will be able to reopen from June 15.

The chamber has led a campaign called Knaresborough Unlocked which aims to keep the town open for business.

As part of the initiative, Knaresborough is set to introduce measures such as limited customers in shops at one time, bookings for those offering personal care, and some temporary road closures proposed by the chamber. Business owners are also encouraged to practise good hygiene in their stores.

Road closures

The chamber is in discussions with North Yorkshire County Council to close roads including Market Place, Castlegate and parts of Jockey Lane in order to help create space for people to queue outside businesses.

Bill Taylor, treasurer at Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said the measures are designed to keep people safe:

“These are temporary measures until social distancing becomes a thing of the past. We are just trying to keep everyone safe.”

Kelly Teggin Hair and Beauty in Knaresborough, which is preparing measures to keep customers safe when it reopens.

Among the businesses that has put preparations in place is Kelly Teggin’s Hair and Beauty salon on Castlegate.

While the government has said salons will not reopen until July at the earliest, owner Kelly Teggin has started to prepare to reopen safely.

She has put in place social distancing measures in the salon, including personal protective equipment, a one-way system and staggering working hours to fit appointments in.

Customers will be told to turn up at their exact booking time in order for people to keep their distance and people will not be able to wait in the waiting area.

Kelly said the lockdown has given her time to prepare the business should it reopen next month.

“I would not have felt prepared if it was a June reopening. But now that it is coming up to July, I do think that by then we will be ready.”

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a “significant drop” in the number of people in the Harrogate district going to their GP with cancer symptoms.

The situation was “extremely worrying” said the district’s health professionals who urged the public to always see a doctor about any symptoms that may be cancer.

All patients with suspected cancer are referred by their doctors for an urgent appointment at Harrogate District Hospital, which can either rule out  the disease or pick it up early and allow for urgent investigations and treatment.

The hospital said it would normally expect to see 190-200 such urgent cancer referrals a week but during the past couple of months that had dropped to as low as 60 patients per week.

The numbers of patients being referred for appointments has started to rise again, but the concern is that not everyone is getting in touch with their GP.

Dr Charles Parker, NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s Clinical Chair, said:

“Finding cancer early offers the best chance to cure it. Ignoring potential problems can have serious consequences for people, something that nobody wants. Please, if you’re concerned, make an appointment with your GP. We are doing all we can to care for patients safely.”

People who are referred into Harrogate District Hospital for investigation or treatment, or who are already on a course of treatment, can expect the same quality of care; the way that care is delivered however may have changed in response to the pandemic.”

Noreen Hawkshaw, Macmillian Lead Nurse for Cancer and Matron for the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at the hospital, said:

“Here in Harrogate district, the NHS is continuing to work hard to manage the coronavirus pandemic, but we’re also working hard to ensure patients can safely access essential services such as cancer investigation and treatments if needed.

“The NHS has had to change significantly to manage the impact of the pandemic but we want to reassure patients who are referred to Harrogate District Hospital for investigation that we are still providing the same high quality of care, just in a different way, ensuring all the appropriate measures in line with Government guidance are in place to keep you safe when accessing our services.”

Harrogate District Hospital is moving some of its consultations online to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

The hospital said it is trialling the technology across a number of departments where it is appropriate and it could stay in place after coronavirus.

However, the hospital said that it can make arrangements for face to face appointments if necessary, with referrals reviewed as soon as they are received.

Those patients with a high clinical need will be seen as soon as possible and suspected cancer referrals will be given the highest priority.

Patients are directly advised if they are eligible for video consultation and they can then choose if they wish to use the service.

Clinical Lead Nurse for Cardiology, Emma Edgar, said:

“Recently, a cardiology patient contacted me as he had a recurrence of his heart rhythm problem. I made an appointment for him in my clinic and we had a video consultation during which I was able to assess the problem and come up with a treatment plan.”

Clinical Informatics Lead at the Trust Dr Matt Shepherd said:

“We are all currently having to adapt to new ways of working and it is important that we make use of every opportunity to support our patients. Our priority is always to give the best quality care and we are pleased to be able to offer this as an option to our patients, where appropriate.”

Harrogate’s care homes have reported 60 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic.

It is an increase from last week’s figures of nine more deaths in the town’s care homes.

The latest numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are from the week ending May 15.

More NHS recent data from Bank Holiday Monday has revealed that there have been 62 deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

With a lag between care home deaths and hospitals of ten days, it could mean that there could end up being more deaths in the town’s care homes compared to the hospital.

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.