Harrogate’s Convention Centre turned blue tonight as it took part in a special ‘Clap for Carers’ ahead of its opening.

NHS Teams, emergency services and construction workers stood outside the front of the centre itself to join in with the applause. There was a real sense of community support as residents clapped from nearby gardens, balconies and doorways.

Yorkshire Lighting and Electrical Services, which is based in Harrogate, has installed 20 blue lights around the front of the building. Views For Fun also based in Harrogate donated blue fairy lights for the 12 trees that line the Kings Road beside the centre.

Two more people have died at Harrogate District Hospital after contracting coronavirus, bringing the total to eight.

The two patients both died on Friday, April 3. No further details have been released, but NHS England said they were among the 637 deaths confirmed today around the UK – including a five-year-old child.

The number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 218 in figures released today, with more than 33,000 across the country. The total number of fatalities in the UK now stands at 3,939.

Meanwhile, work has continued today at Harrogate Convention Centre, which is being turned into a 500-bed Nightingale hospital.

Activity continues at Harrogate Convention Centre as it is transformed into a Nightingale hospital

Construction work continues today around the Royal Hall at Harrogate Convention Centre

An amubulance outside Harrogate Convention Centre today

Construction work continued today at Harrogate Convention Centre

Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital will have up to 500 beds available to care for coronavirus patients, it has been announced.

NHS England has now confirmed the plans for the hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre for the first time, after increasing activity on the site this week.

It was announced alongside a new Nightingale hospital in Bristol, which will accommodate up to 1,500 patients at a time. Other Nightingale hospitals in Manchester and Birmingham are already being created and one at London’s Excel centre will open for patients from today.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said it was “nothing short of extraordinary” that the new hospital in London had been set up in less than a fortnight, with support from the Ministry of Defence.

“The NHS, working with the military, has done in a matter of days what usually takes years,” he said. “Now we are gearing up to repeat that feat at another four sites across the country to add to the surge capacity in current NHS hospitals.

“We’re giving the go ahead to these additional sites, hoping they may not be needed but preparing in case they are. But that will partly depend on continuing public support for measures to reduce growth in the infection rate by staying at home to save lives.”

Army and NHS staff toured the site of Harrogate’s new Nightingale Hospital on day three of construction.

When it is up and running, which could be possible over the next week, it will help the NHS deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Three temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals have already been announced – in London, Manchester and Birmingham – with more understood to be in the planning stages.

Although the NHS has not yet revealed full details about the project, an announcement is expected imminently.

It comes as the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 149, with six deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

2nd April 2020
Construction at Harrogate Conference Centre

2nd April 2020
Construction at Harrogate Conference Centre

2nd April 2020
Convention Centre Harrogate, new signage

2nd April 2020
Convention Centre Harrogate, construction work outside the Royal Hall

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
MOD arrives at Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Fleet of Emergency vehicles arrives at Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Emergency staff arriving at Harrogate Convention Centre

A draft petition asking for widespread testing of the public for coronavirus has been rejected by the government, which claims decisions over medical testing are not in its remit. 

A proposal by the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate, Coun Pat Marsh, was submitted to the government’s petitions site on 17th March calling for more testing of the population. Six days later, it was rejected on the grounds that medical testing was not in the government’s remit. The response said: 

“We can’t accept your petition because the UK Government and Parliament aren’t responsible for the issue you raise. The conduct of tests is a clinical decision for the NHS, not the UK Government or Parliament.”

Coun Pat Marsh said: “I was absolutely outraged when I received the response. I understand who has to physically do the tests, but the government must have some responsibility for purchasing tests and having them distributed to the right places.”

She believes testing of frontline workers – including NHS staff, carers, supermarket employees and other key workers – at an earlier stage could have made a significant difference to the spread of the virus, as well as preventing any needless 14-day isolation periods which kept vital staff away from work. 

Security guards, the Army and others have been seen at Harrogate Convention Centre this week as it is converted into a ‘Nightingale’ hospital

Coun Marsh has accused the government of dereliction of duty in its failure to roll out widespread testing at an early stage, and its claim that it has no responsibility for deciding who is tested. She has also criticised the way the news about the ‘Nightingale’ hospital came out, with no official confirmation despite intense activity at Harrogate Convention Centre which, she said, could have caused alarm.

“I don’t feel comfortable with the government’s approach,” she said. “Of course, you might think I’d say that, but it doesn’t matter what colour the government is. I want us to be safe and for them to do everything within their power to make sure we’re kept safe and well.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, about the government’s position on testing but has not yet received a response.