Deaths
There have been no further hospital deaths announced today
Test Results
Thirteen new positive test results have been recorded today bringing the cumulative total to 12,094.
The number of cases in the City has fallen by 11 from 100 yesterday to 89 today.
The rate /100k population figure has fallen to 42.26. This the lowest figure that we have since 21st September 2020. The rate is expected to fall again tomorrow when it may dip below 40.
Case rates in York have now fallen below those that can be found in North Yorkshire again. Rates at regional and national level are stable
Neighbourhoods
Only one neighbourhood now has an infection rate of over 100 (Strensall)
9 neighbourhoods now have fewer than 3 cases in each. This includes Westfield/Chapelfields/ Foxwood North which has recorded its lowest rate since last summer.
Vaccinations
95% of over 60’s living in York have now been vaccinated. There is little difference in rates at neighbourhood level with the lowest being 80% at Heslington. Fulford and the University (which also now has a very low infection rate).
We understand that the Council will be stepping up its attempts to contact those who have not responded to offers of immunisation jabs.
The inoculators are making good progress with the 50 age groups and seem to be on course to meet their Easter target of offering vaccinations to all over 50’s living in York.
It is thought that vaccination rates for under 50’s may be slower during April as a result of drug shortages.
Hospitals
The number of COVID-19 cases being treated by the York Hospital Trust has fallen to 34. Five are now being treated in intensive care. At its peak, the Trust was treating 242 patients. 2065 patients have been treated and discharged since the start of the pandemic
Tests
4021 PCR test were carried out in York during the week ending 13th March 2021
Of these 1.4% were positive. This represents an improvement on the 1.5% which were positive on the previous day.
4947 “lateral flow” tests were also carried out on 17th March
Police Coronavirus response: No time to let-up as we head towards Easter holidays
Superintendent Mike Walker (pictured below) is leading North Yorkshire Police’s response to the pandemic and he chairs the multi-agency North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum. These are his comments about the past week’s (8-14 March 2021) Covid-19-related issues and the policing arrangements for Easter time…
“Together with our partner agencies and the people of York and North Yorkshire, it is imperative that we maintain the collective effort to reduce the infection rate as low as possible while the vaccination programme is rolled-out across the population.
“We can all see that better times are on the horizon, that’s why we must keep going and not allow all the hard work and sacrifice to be undone through complacency.
“We all must keep adhering to the health protection regulations around travel and gatherings, maintaining social distance, wearing face coverings in shops and on public transport, and keeping our hands as clean as possible.
“From a policing point of view, we will continue to play our part in tackling the public health crisis as we head towards the Easter holidays.
“Each district is on with preparing patrol plans to ensure there are sufficient resources to provide reassurance and continue our ‘4 Es’ approach – to engage with the public, explain the regulations, encourage compliance, and enforce if there is no other way of dealing with breaches.
“The patrol plans will obviously reflect any changes in legislation post 29 March as part of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
“When it is safe to do so, we will welcome visitors to the county again. However, everyone can expect to see an increased policing presence as we work alongside our partners to help keep the virus at bay in the weeks and months ahead.
“Also, we expect normal policing demand to increase as the regulations are further relaxed, therefore North Yorkshire Police will utilise the Government’s surge funding provided to ensure we can respond to the public as they would expect.”
Latest enforcement data
During the past seven days (8-14 March 2021) we have issued 102 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) – the previous week’s total was 210.
This takes the total to 1,662 FPNs during the third lockdown, and 3,555 FPNs since the first lockdown on March 2020.
- 54 were issued to local people and 48 were issued to visitors
- 40 issued for being outside place of living
- 10 for outdoor gatherings
- 29 for indoor gatherings
- 2 for obstruct/contravene/fail to close business
- 20 for gathering of more than 15
Broken down into districts, the number of FPNs issues are as follows:
- Craven – 3
- Hambleton – 15
- Harrogate – 12
- Richmond – 2
- Ryedale – 5
- Scarborough – 50
- Selby – 7
- York – 8
Notable recent breaches
Scarborough was again the location for the most indoor gatherings with 18 FPNs issued. There were also two separate indoor gatherings in the town over the weekend consisting of more than 15 people – this resulted in 20 FPNs being issued. One occurred at a flat on Pavilion Square following a report of a party at 10.45pm on Saturday (13 March).
Just after 5pm on Saturday, an online report was made to the police that a group of men from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were drinking together in a hot tub at a lodge in the York area. When officers arrived they initially claimed they were work colleagues staying together in digs, but this proved not to be the case and the five men were issued with FPNs.
At 4.50am on Monday (15 March), a VW Polo car was stopped by officers as it was travelling east on the A64 at Bilbrough. The four occupants from Leeds, two men and two women aged in their late teens and early 20s, states that they were going somewhere to watch the sun rise. They each headed home with FPNs for being outside their place of living.
Also, for being outside their place of living, two men from Hessle, Hull, were issued with FPNs when police spotted their car at the St James Retail Park at Knaresborough at 12.45am on Monday (15 March). They said they were out for a drive to get a McDonald’s meal.
