Harrogate district remains in tier two

The Harrogate district will remain in tier two after the first government review of the national tier rules.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement in the House of Commons this morning.

But there was disappointment for West Yorkshire, including Leeds, which was hoping to move down from tier three to tier two.

This could have implications for local pubs and restaurants, as well as policing, which have had to deal with people flouting the rules and travelling to North Yorkshire for a night out.

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Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

Case rates in the Harrogate district remain more than double those in tier one areas.

The Harrogate district currently has a rate of 84 infections per 100,000 people compared to 25.9 per 100,000 in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which is in tier one.

What are the rules in tier two?

Tier two:

What about Christmas?

Coronavirus restrictions will be eased in England between December 23 and December 27.

Three households will be able to form a temporary bubble. It must be fixed but there will be no limit on numbers joining bubble.

Those who are self-isolating should not join one of these so-called Christmas bubbles.

If someone is in an at-risk group the government has said they must use their own judgement and consider the risks of mixing over Christmas.

North Yorkshire schools told to not close early for Christmas

Schools in North Yorkshire have been told to not close early for Christmas, despite fears over the potential spread of coronavirus.

Two schools approached North Yorkshire County Council requesting early closure but their bids were rejected.

Most schools in the county will close on Friday, although 45 will finish a day earlier so they can hold a teacher training day.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at NYCC, said at a coronavirus press briefing today:

“We had two schools discussing whether they would close prior to this date. We have discouraged them from doing so.

“They should only close because of close contacts and isolation reasons so we are really pleased that the majority are staying open.”

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School attendance in the county is currently at about 89%. This figure has remained consistent over the last couple of weeks.

The briefing also revealed 19 schools are partially closed to year groups or bubbles.

It also emerged there are 184 patients in hospitals in North Yorkshire, with 22 of them in Harrogate.

While the county-wide bed numbers are 17 lower than this time last week, there was an increase of 10 patients yesterday.

The Harrogate district recorded a further 36 coronavirus cases today, the highest figure since November 23 when there were 37 cases.

Twelve further coronavirus cases confirmed in Harrogate district

A further 12 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate District in the last 24 hours, according to Public Health England.

It takes the total number of cases up to 3,863.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day average, which is the rate up to December 10, stands at 78 per 100,000 people.

It represents a further drop in the rate recently and puts the district third lowest in the county.

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The R number rose from 0.4 to 0.5 over the weekend after falling consistently since early November.

It means every 10 people infected pass on covid to five others, which means the virus is still diminishing in the district but at a slower rate.

While North Yorkshire’s cases have remained low, it seems likely that the county will remain in tier two.

Last week, local public health bosses said they hoped the county would be downgraded after Christmas.

Just 21 new coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

A further 21 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the Harrogate District in the last 24 hours, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total amount of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 3,782.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day average, which is the rate up to December 6, increased to 95 per 100,000 people.

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The county-wide rate stands at 104, below the national average of 154.

It comes as seven sites across North Yorkshire are set to offer the coronavirus vaccine next week.

North Yorkshire CCG, which buys medical services for the county, will provide further details when they are finalised.

More than 1,100 coronavirus cases in Harrogate district during second lockdown

More than 1,100 coronavirus cases were recorded in the Harrogate district during the second lockdown.

However, the number decreased dramatically during the second half of lockdown, as recently published Public Health England figures highlight.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a second national lockdown from November 5 until December 2 to stem a rise in coronavirus cases.

A total of 1,119 cases were confirmed in the district.

The figure represents a decrease on October’s number, when 1,353 were reported.

The daily coronavirus case increases throughout the second lockdown. Data: Public Health England. Graph: The Stray Ferret.

The daily coronavirus case increases throughout the second lockdown. Data: Public Health England. Graph: The Stray Ferret.

Daily cases peaked at 95 on November 9 in the district, before dropping to a low of 11 on November 21.

The seven-day average throughout the period also gradually decreased.

The rate hit a record high of 303 per 100,000 people on November 8, before dropping to 90 by the end of the restrictions.

Meanwhile, a total of 12 patients who tested positive for coronavirus died at Harrogate District Hospital during the period, according to NHS England figures.

“Relatively stable” figures

Since the end of the second lockdown, North Yorkshire has been placed in tier two of local restrictions.

The system is expected to be reviewed next week, although local public health bosses have cautioned against any of hope of a downgrade.

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Harrogate district’s daily cases have been low recently, with a further 20 cases confirmed today. It takes the total number since the start of the pandemic to 3,761.

Meanwhile, the latest seven-day average, which is for the week to December 5, stands at 93 per 100,000 people.

This morning Richard Webb, director of adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, told a media briefing of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents key groups in the fight against covid, that case figures were “relatively stable”.

But he said they were still higher than he would like and the county needed to continue to get them down.

Just 16 new coronavirus infections in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district’s daily coronavirus case figures remain low as just 16 new infections were confirmed by Public Health England today.

It takes the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 3,741.

The latest seven-day average rate of infection, which is the rate up until December 4, stands at 93 per 100,000 people. It was 95 yesterday.

No further coronavirus deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital. The total number of deaths remains at 104.

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It comes as the UK embarked on the biggest vaccination programme in history today.

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother, was the first to receive the jab at University Hospital Coventry this morning.

Later today Sylvia Harris, an 80-year-old health worker became the first to be given the jab at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, which is the nearest hospital to Harrogate to have received vaccines so far.

North Yorkshire has yet to be given the green light to offer the jabs.

No action taken against Harrogate district venues in tier checks

The police and council have taken no formal action against any of the 100 or so pubs and restaurants they visited over the weekend to check they were complying with tier two restrictions.

However, Harrogate Borough Council has said it will continue to follow-up any complaints about non-compliance.

Council staff accompanied officers from North Yorkshire Police on spot checks at venues on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, amid fears some might not be enforcing restrictions.

A spokesman for the council said today:

“Most businesses understood the new rules. We have given those who haven’t further information to ensure customers have a safe and enjoyable visit.

“We also want to ensure all businesses are operating on a level playing field and no-one is gaining an unfair advantage by breaking the current rules.

“We are pleased to say all businesses have been very willing to make any necessary adjustments.”

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Latest coronavirus numbers

The Harrogate district recorded a further 21 coronavirus cases today, taking the total number up to 3,725.

Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any further coronavirus deaths. The total remains at 104.

The seven-day infection rate for the district is now 93 cases per 100,000 people. This is for the seven days to December 4.

Police step up patrols to stop tier three travel to Harrogate district

Police have warned they are stepping up patrols to prevent people from tier three areas travelling into the Harrogate district for the lower restrictions.

North Yorkshire and York entered tier two yesterday. But the surrounding area is in tier three, except for Cumbria.

Restaurants and pubs can open in tier two, if they serve substantial meals; but all hospitality is closed in tier three except for takeaways.

This could tempt people from areas such as Leeds to travel to the district for nights out but North Yorkshire Police has said it is ready to tackle this.

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Superintendent Mike Walker, the coronavirus lead for North Yorkshire Police, said travel from tier three to lower tier areas is only permitted if deemed necessary, such as for work or education. He added:

“I realise there may be some confusion over what is deemed necessary in these circumstances, so I’d like to be clear here; it is neither necessary or acceptable to leave a tier 3 area and enter a lower tier area for a day trip or to visit a pub or restaurant for a meal.

“Please also be reminded that your tier restrictions travel with you and police can take enforcement action against you,  if you should breach those restrictions.”

Police vehicles with automatic number plate recognition technology will be deployed along with more active patrols, said Superintendent Walker, who added:

“There will be a visible police presence in our day and nighttime economy areas.

“It is our job to engage with the public and sometimes find out the purpose of their journey — especially if we see groups coming into the area.

“We will also work with local businesses to ensure that they understand the tier two regulations and make sure they are operating in a safe way.”

What are the tier two restriction?

Harrogate district health bosses expect ‘long journey’ to tier one

Health bosses in the Harrogate district said today they expect it to be a “long journey” from tier two to tier one.

The government is due to review the tiers every two weeks, which means the first opportunity to change will be on December 16.

But with infection rates in North Yorkshire nearly double those in tier one areas, any hopes of change before Christmas appear slim.

Richard Webb, director of adult social care at the county council, said at a coronavirus media briefing today:

“We need to work really hard to stay at tier two and hopefully reduce in due course to tier one.

“I think the advice that we are getting is that it might be quite a long journey to get out of tier two and into tier one.

“I know there will be some parts of the county that are very anxious to see that change. So we are going to have to continue to work hard to drive infection rates down.”

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Infection rates have shrunk considerably since the second half of November.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day average rate of infection is now 90 people per 100,000. This is lower than both North Yorkshire and England, whose rates are 104 and 152 respectively.

The R number for the district, which refers to how rapidly the virus is spreading in the community, has fallen again this week from 0.6 to 0.5. This means every 10 people with covid will infect five.

Public Health England reported another 25 cases today.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is by some distance the district’s covid hotspot. It has recorded 27 infections in the last seven days.

The next highest sub-districts are Harrogate West and Pannal and Ouseburn, Hammerton and Tockwith, both of which have had 14.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite actually has the fourth highest number of infections of all the sub-districts in North Yorkshire.

 

 

Harrogate district restaurants tables filling up fast

Restaurants in the Harrogate district have seen their tables fill up fast as the national lockdown comes to an end.

Eateries will be able to open their doors for the first time tomorrow after a month under the new tier two rules.

With strict rules forbidding Christmas parties and household mixing they do not expect to see anywhere near the same takings as in the summer.

However, many are already seeing the results of pent up demand of a month.

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John Roberts, the owner of The Tannin Level in Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret that the phones started ringing as soon as the area made it into tier two:

“We are filling up fairly quickly now which is great. The weekends are looking very busy already over the next three weeks.

“It will be interesting to see how the weekdays in December, which are normally occupied by Christmas parties, will perform.”

Vivien Kovacs, one of the owners at Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Knaresborough, added:

“The business has been fine over lockdown because we have done takeaways. We are now preparing to open tomorrow.

“We will not be able to serve the same numbers of people because of the stricter rules but we are hoping for a good December.”

Rick Jones, who is one of the owners of Valentino’s and the Water Rat, also told the Stray Ferret:

“It looks like this first week back will be a busy one, it’s already looking quite full. The restrictions will limit the number of people we can serve.

“We will not see similar takings over December compared to previous years but we are just happy to see people and to cook.”

North Yorkshire will come out of lockdown just after midnight tonight. Here is a breakdown of the new rules.

The new tier two restrictions gives hope for the restaurants and hotels but wet-led pubs that cannot serve a “substantial meal” will need to stay closed.