Great Yorkshire Show to go ahead

The organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate have confirmed the event will go ahead next month after all.

The event appeared in doubt after the government announced on Monday that existing social distancing restrictions will continue until July 19.

The extended period included the show, which is scheduled to take place from July 13 to 16.

This led to two days of uncertainty before this afternoon’s statement from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the event. It said:

“We are delighted to announce that the Great Yorkshire Show will take place as planned despite the delay to ending coronavirus restrictions.

“The Great Yorkshire Show was planned under social distancing measures and we are continuing to work closely with North Yorkshire County Council public health to deliver a covid-safe show.

“We are discussing some of the details which may require additional measures to be put in place.

“We have already adapted the show so that most of it is held outdoors this year and it’s been extended to run over four days for the first time in its history.”

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Wedding limit easing boosts hairdressers and beauticians

A beautician in the Harrogate district has welcomed tonight’s government announcement lifting the 30-person cap on weddings.

Deborah Chalmers, who owns Love Hair & Beauty in Ripon, said earlier today she was “hoping and praying” the cap would be lifted amid reports it might remain.

Ms Chalmers said three-quarters of her wedding bookings were for events of 100-plus guests and maintaining the 30-person limit would ruin many couples’ big days — and have financial repercussions for the bridal sector.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said tonight the cap on the number of people attending weddings and wakes would be lifted, even though other social distancing measures will be extended by four weeks until July 19.

Ms Chalmers said:

“I’m sure that many different providers of services to people getting married will be relieved at this evening’s announcement from the Prime Minister that weddings with more than 30 attendees can go ahead.

“Social distancing measures will remain in place but brides-to-be can now look forward to their big day.

“At the same time, the wedding sector can start getting back on its feet and hopefully make up for lost time and lost revenue.”

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Harrogate district’s race to vaccinate as coronavirus rates rise

The Harrogate district’s covid infection rate has returned to levels not seen since March.

The news comes ahead of tonight’s expected government announcement that the planned June 21 unlocking will be delayed by four weeks.

The Delta variant first identified in India was confirmed to have arrived in North Yorkshire last month and Harrogate’s weekly infection rate has since more than tripled.

However, there were no covid patients in Harrogate District Hospital as of last Wednesday and it has been two months since it recorded a death.

Public Health England figures show the latest infection rate for the Harrogate district is 52 cases per 100,000 people – up from 16 this time last month.

The latest figure is also above the North Yorkshire average of 41, but below the England average of 70.

Meanwhile, more than 111,000 people in the district have now received their first covid jab and over 92,000 their second.

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Under the roadmap out of lockdown, England was due to move to stage four on June 21 when events and venues, including nightclubs, would be allowed to operate without capacity limits, and the cap on guests at weddings would also be lifted.

But many scientists have called for a delay to enable more people to be vaccinated and allow more time for work on whether vaccines are breaking or weakening the link between infections and hospitalisations.

Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, councillor Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said with hopes of lockdown restrictions lifting now fading, “the race is on” to vaccinate as many people as possible as the spread of infections gathers pace.

“The light is still there but the increase in Delta variant transmissions is worrying. The trend is going upwards, hospitalisations are increasing and it also seems to be spreading into younger people who until recently seemed to be relatively immune.

“The race is on to vaccinate all of us as soon as possible. This is not over yet and we just have to be careful still.”

Great Yorkshire Show ‘monitoring situation’ as lockdown announcement looms

The organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show have said they are “monitoring the national situation” ahead of tonight’s government announcement on lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to give a news conference at 6pm tonight.

All social distancing measures are due to be lifted on June 21 but Mr Johnson is expected to say current restrictions will remain in place for four more weeks until July 19.

The Great Yorkshire Show is scheduled to take place from July 13 to 16 so the announcement could impact on its plans.

However, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the agricultural charity that organises the event, has already included various social distancing measures into this year’s planning.

They include holding the show over four days, rather than three, capping daily visitor numbers to 25,000, reducing the grandstand capacity to 30% and adapting the show to use as much outdoor space as possible.

This has raised hopes the event will be able to proceed as planned but the situation should become clearer after the ramifications of tonight’s announcement are known.

In a statement today, the society said:

“The Great Yorkshire Show is monitoring the national situation and we are awaiting details from tonight’s announcement.

“We continue to work closely with North Yorkshire County Council public health and Harrogate Borough Council.”

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10 more covid cases reported in Harrogate district

Ten more positive covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of infections since last March to 7,872.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has increased to 42 infections per 100,000 people.

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The North Yorkshire average stands at 35 and the England rate is 60.

No deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital since April 11.

The death toll at the hospital since the start of the pandemic remains at 179, according to NHS England statistics.

Harrogate’s controversial James Street planters could go after June 21

The planters on Harrogate’s James Street could be removed after June 21 — but only if the government proceeds with the final stage of its roadmap out of lockdown.

North Yorkshire County Council closed parking bays on James Street at the start of the pandemic and put in planters to allow pedestrians to conform with social distancing guidance.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the council’s executive member for access, told the Stray Ferret that “it would be reasonable” to expect the planters to be removed after June 21.

Many traders in Knaresborough are also keen for social distancing cones in the town centre to be removed and parking restored.

However, the June 21 date looks increasingly in doubt due to an increase in Delta variant cases. Cllr Mackenzie said he would be “perfectly happy” to see the planters stay if the government delayed the date.

He added:

“Frankly, I’m relaxed about what happens with the planters either way. If it’s felt social distancing is still needed we’ll keep them up.”

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Anna McIntee, of Harrogate Residents Association, set up a petition against the planters that has received over 800 signatures. She told the Stray Ferret that she wants to see the planters removed as soon as possible.

She said:

“Why is the council singling out retailers only on James Street and Albert Street? You can park freely on Cold Bath Road, Cheltenham Parade and Commercial Street.

“The June 21 reopening date is for nightclubs, theatres and large events, not for walking outside on a street. Please remove the planters and let customers have the same access as they do at our supermarkets and outlying retail parks”.

Covid outbreak delays Harrogate council bin collections

An outbreak of covid among staff working for Harrogate Borough Council has caused delays to waste and recycling collections this week.

In a statement this afternoon, the council said it was the first time a number of staff had fallen victim to the virus in 15 months.

It added some staff were also off sick due to adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The council later said on social media staff were issued with the necessary safety precautions.

It said it hoped to catch up with refuse, recycling and garden collections by the end of Saturday.

The full council statement said:

“You may have seen on social media, or first-hand, that some waste and recycling collections have been delayed this week, and last. Throughout the covid pandemic, our crews have worked tirelessly in all conditions to ensure collections take place as normal.

“By-in-large, this has happened week in, week out with very few delays, while we also adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines. Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus or have had to self-isolate.

“In addition, some have also suffered adverse reactions to their vaccines. We are doing our very best to catch-up and have recruited volunteers from some of our other services to lend a helping hand with rounds.

“Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus.

“We are optimistic that we will have all this week’s garden, refuse and recycling collected by close of play on Saturday. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused but hope you understand the position we’re in. We’ll have a further update later in the week.”

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Harrogate district daily covid infections rocket to 28

The Harrogate district has recorded another 28 cases of covid, according to today’s statistics from Public Health England.

It is the highest daily number since February 17, when 31 people tested positive.

However, although the number of cases has increased, health bosses in North Yorkshire said today that no covid patients are currently being treated in Harrogate District Hospital.

And there hasn’t been a covid-related death at the hospital since April 11. The hospital covid death toll remains at 179.

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According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said it was too early to say whether the county’s hospitals will see a spike in covid admissions.

She told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing today:

“The numbers of patients in hospital are increasing very slowly and we are watching them very closely, but we do know as more people have their second jab the vaccination provides significant protection against serious illness.

“We will see the data in the next few weeks about the impact of the Delta variant on the number of patients requiring hospital treatment, and any impact in terms of death, but it is too early to say.

“All of our hospitals have surge plans in place to cope with any increased demand and they will flex accordingly, but hopefully with the continued success of the vaccination programme we will see lower levels of hospitalisations as we move forwards.”

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has increased to 37 per 100,000 people after today’s figures.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 32 and the England rate is 51.

 

Twelve more covid cases in the Harrogate district

A further 12 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of infections since last March to 7,834.

Meanwhile, 109,243 people have had a first dose of a covid vaccine in the district and 83,710 have had a second jab.

In total, 192,953 vaccinations have been given so far.

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Those aged between 25 and 29 have been invited to book their vaccine appointment from today.

Elsewhere, no deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

According to NHS England statistics, the last death recorded was on April 11. The death toll at the hospital remains at 179.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has nudged up to 31 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 28 and the England rate is 50.

Harrogate district records highest daily covid cases since March

The Harrogate district has recorded its highest daily covid cases since March.

According to today’s Public Health England figures, 15 cases have tested positive.

It’s the highest daily infections since March 21, when 15 were also reported.

The figure takes the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 7,805.

The daily number of cases reported is now based on PCR and lateral flow tests returning positive results.

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However, if someone with a positive lateral flow test later has a negative result with a PCR test, the earlier result will be removed.

NHS England no longer reports coronavirus deaths from hospitals over weekends or on Bank Holidays.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day rate currently stands at 23 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 18 and the England rate is 37.