21 December 2020
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Date: 21 December 2020 2020 will be remembered for many reasons – a large number of which we would probably rather forget. It is certainly a year in which we have had to stay focussed on many critical, but changing, circumstances and messages. Often these messages could be quite literally a matter of life or death for some and the last 48 hours are no exception. Over the weekend, we saw the relaxation of the rules over Christmas tightened again, we learned a little more about the new strain of the Coronavirus and its rapid growth. Sadly, we also saw infection rates in some areas of North Yorkshire growing in a very worrying way once again. Many of us no doubt found ourselves trying to digest what it all means for us as individuals once more and I know lots of you will be wrestling with what to do for the best over the festive season. It’s true there are many rules, a lot of guidance and much advice – but the basics remain every bit as important today as they did in March – hands, face, space and let fresh air in. They may be simple, but they are extremely effective in containing the virus and this Christmas it is more important than ever that we make the right choices about who we see and how close we get. Whatever the strain, we know covid thrives indoors and spreads between us most virulently when we let our guard down – when we get too close. So whatever your plans are for the Christmas Day window please, don’t accidently give the virus a free pass. Not having symptoms doesn’t mean you aren’t carrying it, or that you can’t spread it, or accidentally harm someone you love by passing it to them unknowingly. I appreciate this is not the Christmas message you hoped for, but we really are heading into a difficult place again if we don’t work together to get infection rates down here in North Yorkshire. Once again, the most rapid increase is taking place along the coast, with Filey, Whitby and Scarborough town all seeing more cases. A great deal of effort is under way across a number of partner agencies to help to support the fight here. Increased testing capacity, targeted messaging and staff out and about in communities talking to people and businesses about how they can continue to play their part. It is understandably frustrating for so many of you who are sticking to the rules, and our colleagues in the police continue to support your efforts by undertaking enforcement where that is necessary. Even this weekend dozens of fines were issued to people visiting York and North Yorkshire from tier three areas. To be clear, while the travel guidance between tiers is just that, people who live in Tier 3 take the Tier 3 restrictions with them wherever they go. This means they cannot come into North Yorkshire and dine in our cafés and restaurants. Famous for our fantastic hospitality sector and hearty welcome, I am afraid for now our county must protect its people and businesses by making sure we comply with these rules. In better news, within just a few days now we will have 12 vaccine sites across the county. Some of you will already have been called for your first dose. Our health colleagues are doing a fantastic job and we can help them by being patient and waiting to be contacted when it’s our turn. By not contacting the surgery, we free up more time for the NHS to treat people and administer the vaccines as they get them. This is a huge and complex programme, which will take months, not weeks to complete, so patience and understanding will be really important and will make their jobs much easier. Today is the shortest day of what no doubt feels like the longest year, but we have achieved a great deal to be proud of together. January and February delivered us four weeks of storms and floods, these in turn led to some significant infrastructure issues, most notably the collapse of a section of the A19 – a huge and complex repair job requiring expertise and massive resources from our highways team. We have battled two waves of pandemic, kept our schools open to support key OFFICIAL - SENSITIVE Team North Yorkshire bulletin update workers, looked after our most frail residents, supported our neighbours with community and voluntary sector partners and kept our spirits up and heads held high – as we do in North Yorkshire. These huge and unrelenting challenges serve to drive home the importance of needing scale and strength to lead, coordinate and respond to multiple difficult challenges. As we head into 2021, we will not be leaving these demands behind us and we will need all our resolve, experience and resources about us. All of this has brought home to us very vividly the importance of having a strong county council for everyone in North Yorkshire, of empowered partnership working and of preserving the integrity of our county and its brand and values. Next year will be a critical one for local government here as ministers consider how best to reorganise public service delivery here to pave the way for a devolution deal. We firmly believe that we have demonstrated this year, like no other, why scale and resilience are crucial in delivering outstanding services alongside dynamic partnership work and effective emergency response. Thank you for playing your part in the most challenging of times. I wish you a peaceful and restful festive period and hope you stay safe and well. NYCC’s website has a dedicated area for all the latest news, see links below: • COVID-19 related news: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/coronavirus-advice-and-information • Devolution/Stronger Together: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/stronger-together Follow us on social media: @northyorkscc on Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. North Yorkshire Coronavirus Data At 20 December, there have been 15,198 positive tests since 3 March, with 777 new cases reported in the past week. The locality with the highest 7-day rate is currently Scarborough district, where the rate is currently 253.8 cases per 100,000 people. This remains below the England 7-day rate of 282.2 cases per 100,000. Work continues to ensure effective monitoring of all areas, with support for incidents being provided across a range of settings, which are reviewed daily. We are working with our partners across North Yorkshire, and particularly in Scarborough, to implement interventions that will help to bring the number of cases down. Further information on North Yorkshire data provided at county, district and local area level can be found here: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/coronavirus-data. Making a Christmas bubble with friends and family Many of us will have tuned into the Prime Minister’s statement on Saturday afternoon to hear that London and the South East of England are now in Tier 4, and there has been a change to the Christmas bubble guidance. North Yorkshire remains in Tier 2, meaning that we can form Christmas bubbles on Christmas Day only. If you have coronavirus symptoms or are currently self-isolating, you must not form a Christmas bubble. These rules are the law and you must follow them even if it means not meeting with friends or family for Christmas Day. If a member of your Christmas bubble tests positive for coronavirus or develops coronavirus symptoms on 25 December, or up to 48 hours after members of the bubble last met, all members of the bubble must self-isolate as if they were members of the same household. 2 OFFICIAL - SENSITIVE Team North Yorkshire bulletin update In areas in Tiers 1 to 3, including North Yorkshire, you may see a maximum of two other households (your ‘Christmas bubble’) on Christmas Day (25 December). You cannot see anyone from a Tier 4 area. You should think very carefully about the risks and only form a Christmas bubble if you feel you absolutely need to. Wherever possible, discuss alternatives to meeting up in person. You can only form a Christmas bubble if you do not live in a Tier 4 area. If you are permitted to form a Christmas bubble and choose to do so: • Keep your Christmas bubble as small as possible. Two other households is a maximum, not a target • Do not join a Christmas bubble with anyone from a Tier 4 area • Stop all unnecessary social contact outside your immediate household as soon as possible and for at least five days before you meet other households in your bubble • Only meet your Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces • Only see your bubble on Christmas Day. Do not stay overnight and keep your visits as short as possible • Stay local where possible. Avoid travelling from a high prevalence to a low prevalence area • Only meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier you live in (unless coming from a lower to a higher tier) and do not meet socially with friends and family that you do not live with in your home or garden unless they are part of your Christmas bubble When seeing your Christmas bubble, you should keep taking steps to reduce the spread of the virus. This includes meeting outdoors where possible, ensuring indoor spaces get as much fresh air as possible, making space between members of different households wherever you can, washing your hands regularly and for 20 seconds, and following rules on self-isolation if you develop symptoms or test positive for coronavirus.