The number of coronavirus deaths in Harrogate’s care homes is still rising and is close to overtaking the number of deaths in the hospital.

New weekly data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that there have been 51 deaths in Harrogate’s care homes up to May 8.

During the same time period up to May 8, the Harrogate’s hospital has reported 56 deaths.

Harrogate District Hospital has been reporting fewer deaths each week with more days at a time now where the hospital does not report any deaths.

In contrast, care homes in Harrogate are reporting more coronavirus deaths each week.

A cumulative comparison of coronavirus deaths in care homes compared to coronavirus deaths in the hospital. Source: ONS

The Stray Ferret has produced a graph to illustrate the rise in care home coronavirus deaths in comparison to those in Harrogate District Hospital.

The graph only includes deaths where the cause of death is coronavirus. It does not include deaths where coronavirus is involved as that data is not in the same time frame.

To help care homes cope with the increasing demand caused by coronavirus, North Yorkshire County Council has launched a welfare checklist service.

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

North Yorkshire’s highways chief has defended a council decision to widen pavements in Harrogate district town centres and said the measures are only temporary after criticism from some traders and on social media.

Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, said the measures are designed to help social distancing and not to discourage shoppers.

The authority placed cones out to widen pavements and restrict parking in Harrogate on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street and elsewhere in the district.

After questions over why only some streets had cones, Councillor Mackenzie said the measures were implemented to target “pinch points” where footpaths were too narrow and needed to be widened to comply with two metre social distancing guidelines.

He added that, while the order that covers the restrictions is in place until September, it could be lifted before then if national guidance allows.

Councillor Mackenzie said: “The restrictions are only temporary and once we are past this pandemic the bollards will be taken down.

“They are not to stop people from coming into the town. We have had support for these measures.”

He added that he has asked council officers to look into a web facility where people can suggest other streets which the authority should look at.

It comes as the restrictions were met with fierce criticism on social media and had mixed reactions from trade bodies which represent businesses in Harrogate.

Harrogate BID welcomed the news but called for clear parking signage for drivers, but Independent Harrogate said it was disappointed with the measures and urged the county council to rethink its decision.

On Facebook, the move was criticised by residents and described as a “waste of money” and “totally unnecessary”. Others said the widening of pavements was reasonable and had been implemented elsewhere in the UK.

Meanwhile, the restrictions have been removed from Pateley Bridge after the measures caused problems with traffic.

The new measures caused problems with traffic in Pateley Bridge this past weekend.

Cones were put in place up the town’s High Street but caused issues on the already narrow street, including forcing an ambulance to reverse in order for traffic to pass.

Keith Tordoff, chairman of the Nidderdale Chamber of Trade and local business owner in the town, said the restrictions were “ill thought through” and “caused havoc”.

“Everybody knew it was going to cause problems,” he said.

“It made Pateley Bridge look busier than it was. It clearly was never going to work.”

Harrogate District Hospital has, for the first time in five days, reported that one of its coronavirus patients has died.

The total number of deaths is now at 55. The figures released today showed that the patient died on Thursday last week.

A further 122 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of England’s hospital deaths to 24,739.

The number of deaths outside of hospitals will be released tomorrow. As of last week, ONS data up to May 1 includes 54 deaths.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed last Thursday it had discharged 97 people after treatment for coronavirus.

After the first four weeks of lockdown, The Stray Ferret reported on the activity of our two MPs and what role they were playing in tackling coronavirus. We had struggled to establish exactly what they’d been doing.

It’s now eight weeks since lockdown, the country has faced its biggest ever public health emergency, and we have asked them to tell us more about their activity during this time. Again, we did not receive an answer, so here is what we know based on information publicly available.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate- here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• He posted one news story on his website in the last four weeks. It urged businesses to plan for when lockdown eases.
• Mr Jones tweeted three times in the last four weeks. None informed his followers of what work he was doing in Harrogate.
• He has no Facebook page to update his constituents on his community work.
• He chaired the first virtual meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee on April 21 and chaired another meeting on May 5.
• Last week, he said publicly that people should not get complacent because lockdown is being eased.
• Mr Jones offered to deliver leaflets and food on behalf of the Harrogate Easier Living Project. The charity confirmed that he did that last week.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon- here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith has posted no news stories on his personal website about his work during lockdown. His last post was in January.
• He does include links to government guidance as part of an advice section on his site.
• On Twitter, two of his 62 tweets since April 20 have been about his constituency – one about Ripon barracks and another on a hardship fund for farmers from the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
• Mr Smith posted five times on his Facebook page in the past four weeks to promote the government’s coronavirus bounce back loans. The others were the same Ripon and DEFRA related posts that he made on Twitter.
• He asked a question at Prime Ministers Questions on May 13 where he called on the government to bring an end to rough sleeping in the UK.
• Mr Smith has held telephone surgeries for his constituents throughout lockdown.

What would you like your MP to being focusing on as we ease out of lockdown? Here’s what a number of people from both constituencies asked.  Have you been in touch with your MP? Have they been helpful? Get in touch with us and tell us how.

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

Firefighters from Harrogate’s White Watch have cooked more than 50 Sunday roasts for local people. Bruce Reid, the watch manager, told The Stray Ferret that he decided to get cooking when he realised he’d be working both this Sunday and next Sunday.

Bruce said he arrived for work early this morning with an idea of how many meals he could cook but it snowballed..

“I got into work at 8am this morning with an idea that I’d cook around 28 meals but then the whole thing grew and by the time we’d finished we had produced 52. I’d like to thank Susie Little from Covid-Cooperation Harrogate for getting in touch and offering to help with deliveries – we’d have been pulling our hair out without her help”

From the left: Andrew Spence, Dave Spenceley, Mat Clough, Val Granger and Bruce Reid

Lunch was the full monty — roast beef, yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsnips and cabbage. The lunches were donated to people in need who fitted a set criteria- either medically or financially.

Bookers donated one joint of beef – the rest was paid for my Mr Reid himself.

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by the President of Boroughbridge & District Chamber of Trade, Derek Hufton

Walking through Boroughbridge town centre in recent weeks has been a sobering and surreal experience. With the majority of businesses closed the normal hustle and bustle has gone. There are fewer familiar faces to acknowledge and pass the time of day with, and the usual banter between passers-by that normally gives the town its buzz in such a close-knit community is largely absent. Yet despite that, the people who do venture out for exercise or to visit the few essential shops that are still trading, invariably do so with a smile on their face. The renowned local community spirit is still very evident.

My own excursions around the town have been limited, but I do detect that that residents are preferring to shop local whenever possible because they feel safer than mingling with the crowds at supermarkets. I hope that will change some shopping habits beyond the crisis to the benefit of local businesses. While walking through the town on VE Day I was stopped in my tracks as a mother duck came waddling down the high street with 8 ducklings busily trying to keep up – not a sight you see in many town centres!

Last February I took over the Presidency of the local Chamber of Trade, so I naturally have a very keen interest in how the business community is faring at all times, but particularly now. Little did I know at the time what local businesses would be faced with just a few weeks into my tenure. They say timing is everything!

As a Chamber it’s important to ensure everyone is taking advantage of the help that is available from government through the crisis, but also to act as a conduit for sharing experiences and expertise – we are a business community. One thing I really miss now is not being able to have those informal face to face conversations of how things are going, and certainly there are no opportunities to ‘press the flesh.’

The businesses do not stand alone; they are part of a vibrant community in Boroughbridge. It has been really humbling to see the support and encouragement for local businesses coming from within the community. There is clearly a pent-up demand from loyal customers wishing to see their local valued businesses back open and trading again. It has been hugely gratifying to witness, and believe me, the businesses can’t wait.

For information on the Boroughbridge & District Chamber of Trade click here.

Parking restrictions have been introduced across the Harrogate district, with signs suggesting they could be applied for more than four months.

James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate town centre have been roped off, along with parking bays on Knaresborough High Street. Pateley Bridge’s High Street and Ripon’s High Skellgate and Westgate have been reduced in width to a single lane.

North Yorkshire County Council’s signs say the restrictions are designed to enable social distancing and are in place until the end of September. However, the authority confirmed on Twitter the parking bays will be closed this weekend, with monitoring in place to determine how effective the measures are.

While shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are not currently allowed to open, the government has said the restrictions could be eased in the coming weeks. NYCC has not confirmed whether the weekend’s restrictions will be extended, though the signs suggest they could be in place until the end of September.

The notices on James Street suggest restrictions could be in place until the end of September

Richard Flinton, chief executive of NYCC, said in a message to residents:

“We are doing our best to limit crowds in those places where lack of space is particularly concerning such as Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and Harrogate.

“We are closing a number of streets, shutting certain car parks and suspending parking in a number of areas. We will also have highways crews looking out for any issues of concern over the weekend and ready to take the action open to us, to respond.”

If restrictions on town centre parking remain in place after shops are allowed to re-open, they are likely to cause concern for businesses already affected by declining footfall before lockdown began. Independent Harrogate, which represents small businesses in the town, has been campaigning for free parking to encourage more shoppers to visit and bolster the local economy.

Environmental campaigners argue the quiet roads and increase in cycling and walking over recent weeks should be part of the Harrogate district’s plans for the future. Zero Carbon Harrogate has said now is the ideal time to improve infrastructure for low-carbon transport and encourage people to choose options other than cars.

More visitors were seen in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today

Visitor attractions

Fears had been raised that, over the first weekend since changes to lockdown advice from the government, crowds could descend on town centres and attractions, making it very difficult for people to keep their distance.

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today appeared much busier than it has been over recent weeks, with no parking restrictions nearby. Organisations including Yorkshire Water and the Yorkshire Dales National Park issued advice against travelling to potentially busy places.

Mr Flinton added:

“We hope this is reassuring, but you all have a part to play in this, too. Of course, enjoy the outdoors; there is no finer place than our county in my, perhaps biased, view.

“But, please, access open countryside rather than paths, narrow lanes or town and village centres. If you can do so close to your home all the better, and be prepared to change your mind if where you are heading looks busy. Protect yourselves and your family by avoiding crowds and encourage anyone you know who is thinking of coming – to wait until we can offer them a real North Yorkshire welcome in the future.”

What are your experiences of the new restrictions and social distancing across the Harrogate district this weekend? Email us with your views.

For the third consecutive day, there have been no new confirmed coronavirus deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

The total number of deaths at the hospital remains 54, in figures released by NHS England today.

Across the country, 181 more deaths have been confirmed in today’s statistics, in patients aged between 39 and 98. Of those, seven patients, aged between 43 and 67, had no known underlying health conditions.

This week, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it had discharged 97 people after treatment for coronavirus, since the start of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths in care homes relating to Covid-19 stood at 54 in statistics released this week, covering the period to May 1.

Bride to be, but when?

Julie Yeoman, was meant to be walking down the aisle today to marry her fiance, Troy Scott. However, due to coronavirus, they are left in a ‘waiting game’, with no real certainty of when the ceremony will be.

Julie and Troy who live in Harrogate were due to get married at St John’s Church in Bilton today, then on to the reception which was to be at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

However, with all weddings put on hold because of the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the disease spreading, their big day can not go ahead.

Julie told The Stray Ferret that it has been one long waiting game:

“We spent a lot of time waiting to see what would happen as if we cancelled ourselves we would have to pay… Once the church and venue cancelled, we postponed it to February next year, but we have since found out that our marriage licence runs out at the end of June this year.”