Coronavirus York updates; 4th July 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further deaths at York Trust hospitals The total (3/7/20) remains at 214. The last death was recorded on 18th June.

The cumulative total of positive test results (public + private centres) remains at 898 (2/7/20).

Modest increase in visitor numbers today

There appears to have been a small increase in the numbers of people on City centre streets today compared to last Saturday. Some pubs have opened and there are outside cafe tables available on Parliament Street. Most visitors seem to be adopting a cautious approach and are observing social distancing requests. Few are wearing face masks.

There has been come criticism of the Councils “2 hours of free parking” initiative which one trader described as impenetrably complex. The deal doesn’t apply to the main shopper car parks like Castle and Marygate.

Births, deaths and marriages

York Council announces changes at York Register Office and York Crematorium

In line with the easing of government restrictions from 4 July, York Register Office will reopen for weddings and civil partnerships and the Crematorium will welcome more people from this weekend.

Since government restrictions were imposed in March, the council has regularly kept how services at the crematorium can continue under review, with the health and safety of mourners, funeral directors and staff our priority.

Recent government advice means that we are delighted that weddings are able to resume from 4 July the council has been working on plans so that the Register Office can safely hold marriages.

York Crematorium

As part of the updated government advice and taking into account social distancing measures required as well as the ever-present risks relating to the spread of Coronavirus, the Crematorium can now welcome up to eighteen people excluding the funeral director and clergy or celebrant in the main crematorium chapel.

Due to the size of the small chapel and the need to maintain social distancing, the number in the small chapel is being kept at five.

Numerous safety measures remain in place.

The council will also be working with funeral directors and staff to review how the changes to the 2m rule may work in practice to potentially allow higher numbers of mourners to attend. 

Once the restrictions have been fully lifted, the council will ensure that services of remembrance at York Crematorium will be offered to all families and a city-wide multi-faith remembrance ceremony will be held, supported by local faith leaders and the Council.

York Minster has also confirmed that a special memorial service to comfort relatives and friends bereaved during the Coronavirus pandemic will take place at the Minster, when such events can take place.

York Register Office

Weddings are returning to York Register Office this weekend.

Initially the Register Office have and will sort bookings for those who booked a wedding or civil partnership before the pandemic struck and will be in touch with all couples to offer them the opportunity to get married.

As with other Register Offices in the region that are able to reopen and in line with government advice, the council is maintaining the 2m social distancing. This means initially 8 guests (excluding the couple and officiants) will be allowed in the large room in use, in addition to the small witness only weddings which remain as two witnesses only as normal.

While it is not possible to safely accommodate higher numbers at the register office the council is actively seeking alternative venues that would allow 30 people to attend and will make further announcements should this be possible.

Six weddings are booked for this weekend and we hope the couples have a fantastic day and happy marriage.

Coronavirus York updates; 3rd July 2020

Playgrounds to reopen

Playgrounds in York will start reopening from July 8th

About 80 play areas and outdoor gyms across the city have been closed since mid March. The council will start a phased reopening of playgrounds – with social distancing and risk assessments

More details can be found in this report click

Safety barriers have already been removed from some of the equipment on Chesneys Field.

Household waste site appointments being scrapped.

The Council has said that it will shortly discontinue the requirement to book an appointment before a resident visits a household waste site

Council writes to Blue Badge holders

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The York Council says that it has written to all 7,500 York Blue Badge Holders this week. The mailing provides details on what support is available to help badge holders access the city centre, including the 40 replacement Blue Badge bays in Monk Bar car park

UPDATED Deaths and test results

1700 hrs UPDATE – The government has now changed the figures on its web site. The cumulative total (at 2/7/20) is now 898 with two additional cases recorded on 29th June and one on 1st July.

The government has finally updated its web site to include “pillar 2” test results. These are the tests carried out at centres like the Poppleton Park and Ride site.

The good news is that, as of 1/7/20, there had been no new positive test results for 4 days in York.

That is the longest period with only negative results since early March.

The source data can be viewed by clicking here. An extract is reproduced below.

The failure of the authorities to make this information available promptly is one of the most disappointing aspects of the current health crisis.

NB. Tests in the UK are carried out through a number of different routes:

  • Pillar 1: swab testing in Public Health England (PHE) labs and NHS hospitals for those with a clinical need, and health and care workers
  • Pillar 2: swab testing for the wider population, as set out in government guidance
  • Pillar 3: serology testing to show if people have antibodies from having had COVID-19
  • Pillar 4: serology and swab testing for national surveillance supported by PHE, ONS, Biobank, universities and other partners to learn more about the prevalence and spread of the virus and for other testing research purposes, for example on the accuracy and ease of use of home testing

See the government’s national testing strategy for more information on the different pillars.

Attention is now likely to switch to the accessibility of information on pillar 3 and 4 data.

We also await the York Councils comments on the success, or otherwise, of local contact tracing arrangements.

As well as the absence of recent positive test results, another piece of good news is that there have been no further deaths at local hospitals (1/7/20) as a result of COVID-19. The last death was recorded on 18th June.

How busy is the City centre?

The “footfall” information for York City centre camera sites is still being updated on the “open data” web site. The data has been criticised over recent months when it was discovered that some cameras had been disconnected and the data company responsible had extrapolated data from other cameras to fill in the gaps.

It is unfortunate that this issue wasn’t remedied before lock-down occurred

Nevertheless it, together with mobile phone activity, is the only measure that we have of the numbers of people visiting the City centre.

The data suggests that, during June, the number of visitors to the City centre had fallen by 84% compared to the same month in 2019.

However, by the final day of the month that reduction had fallen to 62%.

That probably reflects the gradual reopening of shops and other facilities, together with the launch of an embryonic marketing campaign.

Tomorrow will see sections of the hospitality trade reopening with some cafes hoping to provide outdoor tables, while pub beer gardens may be popular if the weather improves.

So a critical weekend ahead for the City.

Micro grant scheme puts over £2m into small York business accounts

City of York Council’s extended small and micro business grant scheme is on course to deliver another £2.2m to York businesses which fell through the cracks of government support packages.

The scheme closed earlier this week and has now awarded a total of just over £1.92m  to 558 businesses, with another 113 applications pending or yet to be processed.

The grant extension follows an earlier £1m grants scheme which gave vital financial aid or access to services through membership of the Federation of Small Businesses to 800 York businesses.  

Grants payments were offered to support a wide variety of small businesses, including those in shared offices and flexible work spaces, science parks and incubators, regular market traders without a business rates assessment, nurseries, B&Bs paying council tax instead of business rates, and charity properties which all missed out under previous schemes are also eligible.

Council policy on business rent payments

Plans are in place for financial support to continue for those businesses and residents who pay council fees or rents.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic started the council has been committed to supporting businesses and residents through this unprecedented time. Plans are being put in place to ensure support continues for those who need it most.

Three months on from announcing the first financial assistance schemes, the council wants to reassure people that the existing support will still be available for those who require it.  Detailed plans are being finalised and will be taken to a decision session later this month.

In April the council announced:

  • a three-month freeze on the council housing rent increase
  • the extension of the York Financial assistance scheme for residents
  • a £1m emergency fund for businesses
  • a three-month deferral of commercial rents
  • plus a raft of other measures to help residents and businesses.

In order to support more residents in need from this month (July), a new hardship fund will be established for council tenants affected by rent increases. An initial sum of £80,000 is being set aside and will be kept under review should further funds be required. Council housing tenants who can pay rent as usual, will be asked to pay the agreed increased rent charge. Those who can’t will be encouraged to talk to housing officers and will be able to apply to the hardship fund.

Commercial tenants will be able to benefit from a deferral of rent for a further three months, if required. The council will also ensure repayments can be made over an extended period of up to two years.

From July, the council will write to all its commercial tenants to discuss any financial support available to them.

Coronavirus York updates; 2nd July 2020

More information leaks out

This graph, which includes Pillar 2 test results, was apparently leaked by the York Council last night to some local journalists. You won’t find it on the Council web site.

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It is shocking that the government suppressed the data for so long. The peaks in late April and in May were matters of public interest.

There is no process in place for publicly updating the information on a daily basis (unlike Pillar 1 test results).

There has been no update on the progress being made in tracing the contacts of those who have recently tested positive.

No information has been provided on the results of Pillar 3 testing (which looks for traces of anti bodies in a victim).

There have been no additional deaths at local hospitals and no additional (Pillar 1) positive lab test results this week.

90 Asylum seekers to be accommodated in York Hotel

A government agency intends to house 90 single asylum seekers in a York hotel. The plan was considered in a “behind closed doors” meeting.

No costs will fall on local taxpayers. It is unclear whether those arriving in the City will be subject to a coronavirus test.

Askham Bar Park and Ride reopening from Sunday

Services linking Askham Bar to the City centre will operate every 15 minutes at weekends and Monday-Friday every 10 minutes during the peak and 15 minutes during the day.

Sunday frequency is also being increased to 15 minutes from the current 30-minute intervals at three other Park & Ride sites: Rawcliffe Bar, Designer Outlet and Monks Cross, with routes to the city centre. This increases further to every 12 minutes on Sundays from July 12.

Mystery deepens as Poppleton COVID 19 test results leaked to media

As recently as 21st June the York Council said that it hadn’t been given the results of COVID 19 tests carried out at the Poppleton Park and Ride testing centre.

The centre had opened on 24th April.  Almost immediately there were claims that the test results for local centres “were disappearing into a black hole”. Around 5000 tests were carried out during the first 10 days of operation of the new centre. Officials remained tight lipped about the outcomes. Local MPs were urged to lift the blanket of confidentiality and some local reporters also lobbied for more openness

Yesterday, the local York Director of Health confirmed to the media that they had received the figures.

She revealed that as of June 27 there were 424 positive coronavirus tests confirmed through, what is known as, the “Pillar 2” testing programme. Added to the lab test reports already published, that meant that there had been a total of 887 cases in the City.

Significantly there were nine positive test results recorded through Pillar 2 data in the past week.

The Council didn’t say how well its contact tracing service was performing.

The Financial Times has said that Pillar 2 results now comprise the largest proportion of positive tests across the country

This is the latest in a series of communications failures by central and local government. It was several weeks into to crisis before  daily updates were provided on deaths and test results (Pillar 1) . Both sets of stats are now updated at Council/Hospital Trust level each day.

The absence of  data from the commercial test sites and home testing means that residents still have only a partial picture.

It is not surprising that there were many positive results at Poppleton. The centre initially started out testing key workers and then moved on to test those who were suffering from COVID symptoms.

What is extraordinary is that it has taken so long for a glimpse of the results to leak out.

We have seen a copy of an email in which a Council official had yesterday  said to a resident

“Although we now have access to pillar 2 data, as a council we are not allowed to publish it. It is to be used for internal planning purposes only”.

A couple of hours later, the Council was forced to release a comment after the figures were leaked.

Some other Councils are believed to be routinely publishing the information while MPs are now also being briefed. They may be the source of the leaked information

Whatever the source, the time has come for the Council leadership to allay growing concerns that the secrecy covering this issue has a sinister motive.

The infection rate in York is below the regional and national averages. That is good news which should be shared

The Council must agree to update residents on the progress being made in tracing the contacts of the recently revealed cases.

They must also ensure that local daily briefings on all test results (Pillars 1,2,3 and 4) are made public  and quickly.

Coronavirus York updates; 30th June 2020

Deaths and test results

The reintroduction of a lock-down in Leicester has prompted some sections of the media to speculate that York may be next on the governments list.

In reality, and according to the governments own web site, positive test results remain low in York.

There were two positive results during the week ending 26th June but those were the only cases recorded during the last 4 weeks. The figures do not include local test results (pillar 2) which are still not being made available to the public.

By comparison, Leicester has seen over 150 cases during the same period.

Leicester has a larger population (329,000) than York (208,000)

There have been no further deaths recorded at York Trust hospitals this week

Poll boost for local government?

The Local Government Association has published the results of a residents poll which it says is good news for local Councils. Residents views of government have become more positive during the Coronavirus crisis. The results are based on a sample of only 1000 respondents and are not therefore reliable to individual local authority level. The results can be read by clicking here.

Coronavirus York updates; 27th June 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further Coronavirus deaths at York Trust hospital (26/6/20). There have also been no more positive lab test results (26/6/20)

The independent COVID 19 monitoring site estimates that 4156 people in York will have had the virus. That represents 0.4% of the population.

COVID cases daily and cumulative

The site derives its information from returns regularly submitted by residents from across the country https://covid19.joinzoe.com/

Care home deaths

The government released details earlier in the week of the number of deaths which have occurred  in care homes click

At that time, the last death at a York care home had occurred on 12th June.

In total there were 63 deaths in York homes.

South Park care home

Now the media are reporting that some of the COVID 19 cases occurred at the South Park care home on Gale Lane. Some staff were also affected.

The York authorities have not been prepared to break down the death rate figures to individual homes. We think that they are wrong to withhold that information.

It – like the results of the local COVID tests being undertaken at Poppleton – are matters of public interest.

Coronavirus York updates; 26th June 2020

Deaths and cases

There have been no further deaths from coronavirus at York Trust hospitals. The last fatality – which brought the total to 214 – occurred on 18th June.

There have been no further positive test results (24/6/20). The last positive lab result was reported on 21st June. It brought the cumulative total to 463

Treasure Hunt restarts

York Treasure hunt is operating again.

Details click here Treasure Hunt York

Coronavirus York updates; 25th June 2020

Museum Gardens reopening

The Museum Gardens are due to reopen today (Thursday) at 10:30am. They will close at 6:00pm.

Deaths and test results

The were no additional deaths reported at local hospitals yesterday. There was also no increase in the number of positive test results (23/6/20).

£144 per person York cost

According to the BBC, the York Councils income shortfall in the wake of the health crisis is equivalent to £144 for each person in the City.  The Council has already said it faces making cuts of £24 million in services.

The worst hit Council – the Highlands in  Scotland – has a £411 shortfall per person, largely as a result of declining visitor numbers. The Leeds Council has a £61 million shortfall and says that it may not be able to balance its budget this year.

Physician, heal thyself?

Reports coming out of West Offices, say some Councillors are to be offered counselling  to help them cope with the pressures of lockdown and the COVID crisis.

Welcome to Yorkshire

According to some reports, the Yorkshire tourist organisation could fold shortly. It depends for part of its income on a complex rates pooling arrangement which involves local authorities with a business rates surplus cross funding those with a deficit. The fall in business rates income as a result of the COVID crisis means that there will be no surplus to share, leaving WTY appealing for a direct subsidy from cash strapped local Councils.

Coronavirus York updates; 22nd June 2020

Deaths and test results

It is now 19 days since anyone tested positive for Coronavirus in York. The total of positive tests remains at 462

There have been no further Coronavirus deaths at York hospital

Groves Road closures

The proposal to close through routes in The Groves area was approved today by the Green Party’s transport executive. It remains to be seen whether the decision will be “called in” for review.

Initially we expect that the closures – anticipated to be implemented within 3 weeks – will have little effect other than perhaps inconveniencing some residents who live within the affected zone (They face a longish detour for some journeys).

Some cyclists may also feel less safe when using the narrow streets with two way working also being reintroduced.

However if traffic volumes return to more normal levels in the autumn, there remains concerns about the impacts on congestion and pollution levels in the surrounding area.

Coronavirus York Updates; 21st June 2020

Deaths and cases

Following yesterdays death at a York Hospital Trust hospital there have been no further fatalities

There have also now (19/6/20) been no further positive lab test results. That means there have been no new cases reported in the City since the total reach 462 on 2nd June.

Coronavirus meeting tomorrow

The York Outbreak Management Advisory Board will meet using webcast and is being put in place in order to improve the speed of the response, build on and involve local knowledge and improve co-ordination.

Established as part of the national Test and Trace programme, the meetings will advise and inform the development of City of York Council’s outbreak management plan and a local Test and Trace programme, reflecting the views of different communities and sectors across the city.

The first meeting of the board comes after City of York Council was awarded £733,896 last week by the Government to support the creation of new boards, local outbreak control plans and preventative work designed to protect residents. 

The meeting will hear that they have not been given access to the test results (pillar 2) being produced at local privately run testing sites like the one at Poppleton.

Testing centre

The absence of this information has been a source of irritation both for local healthcare professionals and those living in the City.

Details of the meeting and associated briefing papers can be found by clicking here