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12
Oct 2020
Will the Harrogate district face tougher restrictions today?
The government is set to announce tougher lockdown restrictions today for millions of people in northern England — but to what extent the Harrogate district will be affected remains unclear.
Pub closures and a ban on travel outside of restriction zones are on the cards for swathes of the north, as part of a new three-tier lockdown system.
While metro mayors Steve Rotheram in Liverpool and Andy Burnham in Manchester are threatening to rebel against the initiative, leaders in North Yorkshire have so far kept quiet.
The Stray Ferret today asked Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council whether the government had consulted them on the tier system, if they knew which tier the district was likely to be allocated and whether they agreed with it.
The borough council referred us to the county council, which had not replied by the time of publication.
Rising infection rates
Harrogate has a covid rate of 127.5 per 100,000 people. The figure for North Yorkshire as a whole is 101.9, according to NHS Digital.
Harrogate's infection level is rated as high but nevertheless is well below the 689.1 figure for Nottingham or 578.7 in Liverpool.
Craven has the highest case rate in the county at 166 per 100,000. Ryedale stands at 102, Richmondshire at 109 and both Scarborough and Selby at 91.
The number of cases in the Harrogate district has increased sharply since the start of September. A further 42 cases were confirmed yesterday, taking the overall number to 1,412.
Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, said this morning the Harrogate Nightingale hospital will be asked to "mobilise to be ready to accept patients if necessary".
Read more:
- Harrogate bars warn further measures could ‘finish us off’
- Harrogate to get permanent Covid testing site
The Harrogate district relies heavily on hospitality trade and local businesses have been vocal about the impact of any further restrictions, and warned that Harrogate falling into the highest tier would “finish them off”.
Martin Greenhow, managing director of Mojo bars, told the Stray Ferret:
Closure would be 'disaster'
Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa and chair of the Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association, said if areas such as Leeds and Newcastle were locked down then it would have an impact on the district.
He said:
Today's announcement
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to outline the three-tier system in the House of Commons this afternoon before presenting the measures at a press conference at 6pm.
The tier system is expected to be split into risk categories and operate as follows:
- Tier one: low risk areas, which have a low rate of coronavirus infections will continue to follow national restrictions, such as the rule of six and 10pm curfew.
- Tier two: high risk areas will see a ban on indoor socialising with other households and restrictions on home visits.
- Tier three: very high risk areas will see pubs, gyms and casinos closed. The strictest measures will be in place for four weeks before being reviewed, according to The Times.
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