North Yorkshire residents urged to help prevent local lockdown as some care homes asked to restrict visiting
With Scarborough and Selby on the national COVID-19 watchlist, people in North Yorkshire are being asked for a “mammoth effort … to be extra vigilant and to stick rigidly to the guidance”.
The Prime Minister this week announced new national measures to address rising cases of coronavirus in England. They include new rules around face coverings, for businesses and rules around meeting other people.
Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council Director of Health and Adult Services Richard Webb has written to all care providers to update them in the light of rising COVID-19 infection rates across the county.
In particular, he has asked care homes within the Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby district areas to restrict visiting with immediate effect. This request will be reviewed again on September 30. Visiting arrangements for people who are nearing the end of their lives will not change, but providers should ensure that they do so in a COVID-secure way.
A task group, including representatives from care providers, care home residents and relatives, is to be established to see if there is a better way, longer-term, to continue COVID-secure visits to homes.
Nationally, the Health and Social Care Secretary has confirmed new adult social care winter plan will aim to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections in care settings throughout the winter months.
Areas of concern
North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) Chair Richard Flinton said: “We want people living across North Yorkshire and York to be able to go about their lives but we are asking they do that with a heightened awareness of the risks and while taking on some simple precautionary measures to protect themselves and everyone else.
“We are doing everything it is possible for us to do to keep the county’s residents, communities and businesses out of more serious lockdown measures and we are asking everyone to help so we can protect our freedoms.
“Despite our efforts we have two areas now designated of concern due to the continued and growing infection rates there. I do not believe for one minute anyone wants the sort of restrictions we are seeing in other areas of the country, but only the personal choices everyone makes, every day, can turn the tide.
“If there is not a mammoth effort by everyone to be extra vigilant and to stick rigidly to the guidance, we have serious concerns that it will cost us all dearly and the way we go about our daily lives will inevitably be impacted further."
Please help us prevent more deaths, help us keep our schools open for the sake of our children and young people, help us support the economy and keep businesses operating. Do the right thing now and every day and don’t let the sacrifices made by so many of you already, be for nothing.
An Area of Concern is the first level of intervention in a three-step process. It means that Government agencies are working more closely with NYLRF and local communities to try to prevent, contain and reduce the spread of the virus.
Unlike Areas of Intervention or Areas of Enhanced Support, an Area of Concern does not face additional lockdown requirements at this stage so long as people act to contain and reduce the spread of the virus.
What this means for people living in Scarborough and Selby areas is that people are asked to:
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Exercise extra vigilance in sticking rigorously to hand hygiene and social distancing guidance
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Use face coverings when leaving home while community infection levels are increasing and avoid crowds
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Stick to the ‘rule of six’
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Take extra care when leaving home if you have an underlying health condition or have been advised to shield
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If you have covid symptoms, you must get a test. Isolate until you get a test and persist in trying to book one if you are experiencing difficulties
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If you do not have symptoms, do not get a test, unless directed to do so. Priority is being given to those with symptoms
Rising number of cases
Last week the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the agencies and partners responsible for leading the fight against the pandemic including the emergency services, local authorities and the NHS, said COVID-19 cases had more than quadrupled in a fortnight.
The group went into full emergency mode, concerned about:
- The rising number of cases across the county and, in particular, Selby and Harrogate districts as well as parts of Scarborough and Craven;
- Growing evidence of increased community transmission, particularly in the Whitby, Sherburn-in-Elmet and Crosshills/Sutton-in-Craven areas;
- The increases in infections amongst care home staff and residents;
- The national problems with laboratory capacity which mean that fewer Covid-19 tests are available and results are taking longer to process.
Read about local action being taken in North Yorkshire by the group.
Richard Flinton, who is also Chief Executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said: “I want to be clear that the actions we decide to take will have only one aim – to protect people, communities, schools and businesses from the impacts that we are seeing elsewhere in areas going back into lockdown to contain this virus.
“I am telling you this to reassure you – that we are here and working hard together to manage the virus and to prevent it taking a hold of our lives once again.
“So – we are stepping up our oversight and management once again and to do this we will reinstate what we call a ‘major incident’ status – we will be communicating some very important messages with you over the coming days and weeks. Your response to the ‘asks’ we put to you will be critical. Only your actions – the choices each and every one of you make in the days and weeks ahead – will turn the tide in the areas where we are seeing worry positive cases rise and help protect those where we are not. To be clear, we cannot do this without your support.”
Nationally, a new £500 package has been announced to support and enforce self-isolation from the end of this month.
