covid Archives - Page 37 of 51

Venues call for recruits as outdoor dining hots up

Hotels and restaurants in the Harrogate district are hiring new staff as bookings roll in ahead of the reopening tomorrow.

As of April 12, hospitality venues are allowed to open their outdoor seating areas, with many already fully booked.

During the pandemic the hospitality industry took a large hit, with forced closures spanning many months.

As well as the extra hands needed to meet demand, new staff have been brought in to replace those who left to find work elsewhere.

Wayne Topley, managing director of Cedar Court Hotels, said the company has been recruiting for months. The Harrogate hotel’s outdoor Tipi already has 150 bookings for the first few days of trade:

“We have a loyal team of great people who we are proud to say have ‘weathered the storm’ with us, but now as our hotel looks to reopen we are truly excited to be going out to market to find even more great people.

“We have been recruiting and we still are for the months ahead. It’s a great time to join our team to be part of something pretty special.”

Gill Richardson, landlady of The Bull Inn in West Tanfield, also said she was hoping to recruit more team members to manage the extra covid safety requirements facing pubs and restaurants over the coming months.

“We do need extra staff, we lost a few team members over the pandemic and policing the new guidelines will be difficult without more help.

“We’re nervous to open because it’s been so long but once we’ve got into the swing of things it’ll be really exciting.”

Martin Greenhow, managing director of MOJO group, said the company has lost some employees and would be hiring for the busy period.

“We are expecting this to be a very busy time and are really optimistic about the summer. But we will need to hire a number of new employees to cope with not only the loss of previous employees, but also to cope with table service requiring more staff and managing guidelines in a safe way.”

Just one covid case reported in Harrogate district today

Just one positive covid case has been reported in the Harrogate district today.

There have also now been no covid-related deaths at Harrogate District Hospital for 11 days, according to NHS England data.

Currently, the number of covid-positive patients who have died at the hospital since last March stands at 178.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 14.3 cases per 100,000 people. The England average is 27.9.

The Stray Ferret visited the new covid vaccination centre in Pateley Bridge this morning.

The site at the Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall opened today and has the potential to vaccinate up to 400 people a day.

Proud Nidderdale resident Phil White said “it means everything” to have a vaccination site near to his home in Dacre — and even walked the five miles in the sunshine to get his second jab.

He said:

“I’ve walked it here and it took two and a quarter hours too. It’s a bit of exercise in the beautiful weather and countryside and I’ve been well looked after here. It’s been superb. Nidderdale is the best place on Earth!”

‘It’s been superb’: Nidderdale welcomes Pateley Bridge vaccination centre

The new Pateley Bridge covid vaccination centre is set to be a vital lifeline to the people of Nidderdale.

The site at the Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall opened today and has the potential to vaccinate up to 400 people a day. The Stray Ferret visited to speak to some of the staff and volunteers, as well as those excited to receive their jab.

Pharmacist Samina Khan owns Pateley Bridge Pharmacy which is running the site. She said prior to the vaccine centre opening, her patients have had to travel to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate or Ripon Racecourse, which isn’t always easy.

She said:

“Most of our patients are elderly who’ve had to rely on public transport or Nidderdale Plus to take them. Some have had to use taxis which cost a £60 round trip, or asked children to come over to take them”.

‘A huge difference’

Her comments were echoed by Pateley Bridge GP Lewis Caplin who helped set up the site with Samina. He said he knows of two people who have avoided taking the vaccine because they didn’t want to travel a long distance.

From Pateley Bridge, it’s a 26 mile round trip to the Great Yorkshire Showground site.

He said:

“It’s made a huge difference for those people to walk around the corner and get their vaccine.”

The Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road

Andrew Cockroft is from the Nidderdale Plus community hub. He said over 100 local volunteers have risen to the challenge to help residents get vaccinated at Pateley Bridge as well as in Harrogate and Ripon.

He added:

“All the volunteers are keen to see centres open up that have less of a journey. What Samina has done with Lewis to set it up has been a lot of work. It’s terrific to see people come from around the corner to get their jabs.”

‘The best place on Earth’

Proud Nidderdale resident Phil White said “it means everything” to have a vaccination site near to his home in Dacre — and even walked the five miles in the sunshine to get his second jab.

He said:

“I’ve walked it here and it took two and a quarter hours too. It’s a bit of exercise in the beautiful weather and countryside and I’ve been well looked after here. It’s been superb. Nidderdale is the best place on Earth!”

90,000 receive covid vaccine in Harrogate as first doses drop

More than 90,000 people in the Harrogate district have received a covid vaccine but the number of first doses dropped dramatically last week due to supply shortages.

According to NHS England figures, a total of 93,618 people in the district have had a first jab.

The number is an increase of 1,325 on last week, which is down on the previous weekly increase of 10,175.

Last month, NHS officials wrote to GPs across the country and warned there would be a “significant reduction in weekly supply” from March 29.

No first doses of vaccines are being offered to the under-50s at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this month.

The total number of first vaccines in the district includes:

10,682 people aged over 80
7,290 between 75 and 79
10,008 between 70 and 74
9,204 between 65 and 69
10,691 between 60 and 64
12,152 between 55 and 59
11,529 between 50 and 54
22,062 people aged under 50

The data also shows North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group has given 245,899 first doses and 38,899 second doses so far.

Last week, Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire CCG, said it would focus on as “maximum coverage as possible” for those who have not been vaccinated in the first nine priority groups.

Meanwhile, no covid deaths have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital since March 29.

The death toll at the hospital remains at 178 since the start of the pandemic.

Just five cases of covid have been confirmed in the district in the last 24 hours, according to Public Health England.

It takes the total number of cases since March last year to 7,608.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has increased slightly to 12 infections per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate stands at 26 and the England average is 30.

Harrogate district covid rate at lowest since August

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate is at its lowest since August last year.

Currently, the average stands at 11 per 100,000 people.

It’s the lowest rate since August 30 when it also stood at 11, according to North Yorkshire County Council statistics.

Meanwhile, the North Yorkshire average is 31 and the England rate stands at 38.

Just three covid cases were reported in the district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since last March to 7,595.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

The death toll at the hospital since the start of the pandemic stands at 178.

The last recorded death at the district’s hospital was on March 29.

Ripon’s Himalayan Garden set to reopen today

The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park near Ripon is set to reopen today. The 45-acre site in Grewelthorpe is home to 80 outdoor sculptures and nearly 20,000 plants.

The gardens were shortlisted for the BBC Countryfile Magazine awards 2020 and were winners of the Yorkshire in Bloom tourist attraction award in 2018 and 2019.

A spokesperson for the gardens said:

“We believe that being outdoors and in beautiful gardens is restorative and important for people’s wellbeing. It can be a source of much-needed tranquillity in these super-anxious times.

“We are, however, mindful that the safety of visitors and our staff is our number one priority. We’re pleased to welcome visitors, that they may enjoy the blooms of spring in a safe and tranquil environment.”

The gardens have implemented additional staff training and measures to ensure key points, such as the visitors’ entrance, are safe. Natural materials have been used to create one-way systems and social distancing markers. Visitors must book tickets in advance. The plant sale area will be open and the tearoom and refreshment horsebox will be serving takeaways.

The spokesperson added:

“Thankfully, our attraction benefits from being in the great outdoors with plenty of space.”

The actor Joanna Lumley, who is patron of the gardens, said:

“They are a slice of paradise. Gardens are the greatest healers on earth, and as our stressful anxious lives tie us up in knots, we may turn to the sweet silence of the great green earth for solace.”

Just two cases of covid reported in Harrogate district

Just two cases of covid have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since last March to 7,583.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 21 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 39 and the England rate is 49.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

No covid vaccines for under-50s at Great Yorkshire Showground in April

No first doses of a covid vaccine will be given to the under-50s at the Great Yorkshire Showground in April.

The Spa Surgery in Harrogate posted on its Facebook page there was “reduced vaccine available nationally” and that no first doses will be given.

However, it added that those under-50 would start to be invited for appointments from May onwards depending on supply.

Meanwhile, all second doses will go ahead as normal at the showground.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire CCG said:

“In North Yorkshire, a number of practices have now worked through all of their patients who are in the first nine priority groups, as identified by the JCVI.

“The NHS is continuing to support primary care networks to ensure available vaccine is deployed where it is needed in North Yorkshire so that by 15 April, everyone in cohorts 1-9 will have had the opportunity to have had the vaccine. We have been assured by Government there will be enough supply to meet this deadline.

“Anyone aged 50 and over and those with underlying health conditions who has previously turned down the offer of a vaccine but has now changed their mind, can still get vaccinated – they can book online or call 119.

“Supplies of second doses have been secured and will be available at the appropriate time for those who have previously received a first dose. It’s important people attend for their second dose, so they can get the maximum protection offered by the vaccine.”

Some GPs in North Yorkshire have said they will vaccinate people under-50 if there were any spare vaccines.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire CCG, said it would focus on as “maximum coverage as possible” for those who have not been vaccinated in the first nine priority groups.

Ms Bloor said the CCG wanted to improve the uptake for the first nine groups before moving onto the under-50s.

She added that the government had assured the CCG there would be enough supply to vaccinate those aged 18 to 49 by the end of July.

But, a letter from NHS England to GPs in March said there would be a “significant reduction in weekly supply” from March 29.

The letter said:

“The government’s Vaccines Task Force have now notified us that there will be a significant reduction in weekly supply available from manufacturers beginning in the week commencing 29 March, meaning volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained.

“They now currently predict this will continue for a four-week period, as a result of reductions in national inbound vaccines supply.”

It comes as 92,293 first doses have been carried out in the Harrogate district, according to latest NHS England figures.

The figure represents more than half of the district’s overall population.

Across North Yorkshire, 410,000 people have had a first dose and 48,000 have had a second dose.

Harrogate district covid rate hits six-month low

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen to its lowest level in more than half a year.

The average now stands at 27 infections per 100,000 people – the lowest it has been since September 18.

Meanwhile, the North Yorkshire rate is 40 and the England average is 53.

Just three covid cases have been reported in the district today, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of infections since last March to 7,581.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

Five covid patients are currently being treated at the Harrogate hospital.

It comes as senior health officials said today that North Yorkshire’s vaccination programme will focus on increasing the uptake in the first nine priority groups.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire CCG, said the health service wanted to “maximise the uptake” and target the 47,000 who have yet to be vaccinated.

First ever four-day Great Yorkshire Show confirmed

The organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate confirmed today this year’s event will take place over four days for the first time.

The Stray Ferret exclusively revealed yesterday that major changes to the format, which included adding a day, were due to be announced.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society confirmed the news in a newsletter to members this morning.

“We can now reveal that the show will take place between Tuesday 13 July and Friday 16 July, from 8am to 5pm each day, if it is safe to do so.”

The show usually takes place from 7.30am to 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but finishes an hour earlier on Thursdays.

The newsletter added the event will only go ahead “if the government’s roadmap out of coronavirus restrictions remains unchanged”.

It said government guidelines on large gatherings after June 21 would be informed by a series of pilot events taking place during spring.

“However, we do anticipate there will be a strict cap on the number of people allowed to gather at large events and so by adding a fourth day, more visitors will have the chance to attend safely.”

Read more:

The Stray Ferret understands the number of daily visitors will be restricted to between 20,000 and 25,000 — well below the usual 44,000 average.

in a subsequent press release, Charles Mills, honorary show director, said:

“We are thrilled by the response to our plans for the show this year in what we know will not quite be normal circumstances.

“We do expect there to be a limit on how many people can attend on any one day of the show and so for the first time in our history we believe the best option is to offer a four-day event.”

“There will be some changes this year, but we want to deliver as much of a normal show as restrictions allow, and it remains our position that the Show will only go ahead if it is safe to do so.

“We understand there is an element of risk in planning for an event of such scale given the potential for restrictions to change, however we accept this and firmly believe it is well worth planning for the Show to take place.

The Stray Ferret understands livestock classes will be reduced, just one event hall will be open, and facemasks will also have to be worn inside marquees.

https://twitter.com/greatyorkshow/status/1377191451541577731

Tickets must be purchased in advance and will be available from June 1.

Ripley Show, which was scheduled for August 4, was cancelled on the grounds that the “proposed conditions are near impossible to comply with on the show ground”.