NYCC - bulletin -26 May 2021

Riccall Parish

26/05/2021

As we enjoy being able to meet family and friends in our own homes, dine out and visit local attractions following the latest easing of restrictions, the situation in North Yorkshire continues to improve. So we can be confident, but that must be confidence with care.

The infection rate in North Yorkshire is 17 per 100,000, below the England average of 21 per 100,000. In Selby, the rate is reducing from its recent high and the outbreak affecting the Clipper workplace appears to be settling.

A small number of cases of the Indian variant have been identified in the county, as elsewhere across the country. We are well prepared and our health partners are working to minimise the spread.

We can take advantage of opportunities afforded by this week’s easing with confidence, but I understand some people will be hesitant about venturing out after so long under restrictions.

For all of us to do so with confidence, we must all do so carefully. That means continuing to follow the simple precautions: hands, face, space and fresh air.

In addition, please get the vaccine when it’s your turn. If you’re eligible but haven’t had the jab for any reason, please book your slot. The vaccine is our best opportunity to protect ourselves, our families and communities, so please get both doses of yours.

On a lighter note, a guest at today’s North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press conference was Graeme Farrah of Scarborough’s Sea Life Centre, who shared the insight that penguins at the attraction appeared to suffer social isolation. The penguins were used to having hundreds of guests around and one in particular, Rico, liked to peck customers’ shoes. But during the closure staff had to do team bonding with the birds because it was as if they were suffering from not having visitors.Hear more from Graeme.

Another guest, Laura Young, from our partner, North Yorkshire Sport, spoke about important work to support physical and mental health.Hear more from Laura andread about the work.

Stay safe and look out for our Unlock Summer messages, which remind us all of the need to be careful.

North Yorkshire Coronavirus Data

At 16 May 2021, there have been 30,185 positive tests since 3 March 2020, with 241 new cases reported in the past two weeks. The weekly rolling average of new cases is 20 cases per day, allowing for incomplete data in the most recent days. The seven-day rate for North Yorkshire is 17 cases per 100,000 people, lower than the England seven-day rate of 21. Work continues to ensure effective monitoring of all areas, with support for incidents being provided across a range of settings, which are reviewed daily.

See further information on North Yorkshire data provided at county, district and local area level

Testing Update

Testing sites in North Yorkshire, as elsewhere in England, are operated and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care and private contractors employed by them. We try to help the Department by promoting the Mobile Testing Site locations and hosting information on how people with symptoms can book a test via the national government portal.

Find information about where you can get a test.

Book a test.

You can also collect rapid lateral flow tests for you to conduct at home. You should test yourself twice a week using these kits, and report every result to NHS Test and Trace on the same day as you take your test.Find more information about lateral flow testing.

Find where you can collect your free lateral flow test kits.

As the roadmap continues to allow us to get back to normal, it is important that we remember the key behaviours:

· Continue to think about the vulnerability of loved ones.

· Outdoors is always safer than indoors.

· Keep getting tested regularly, even without symptoms.

· Continue to follow social distancing when no with friends and families including work places, pubs, restaurants etc.

· Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air.

Tests for people with symptoms

Testing sites in North Yorkshire, as elsewhere in England, are operated and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care and private contractors employed by them. We try to help the department by promoting the Mobile Testing Site locations and hosting information on how people with symptoms can book a test via the national government portal. We do not manage the national booking system or laboratory testing process.

Before you attend, you must book a test. Tests can be booked from 8pm the night before.

Find details of permanent testing sites and mobile testing units and how to book a test.

Tests for people who do not have symptoms

If you do not have symptoms, you can get tests to use at home in several ways:

· order tests online

· through your employer if they’re registered for workplace testing

· at participating pharmacies

· collect them from one of the permanent testing sites listed here

Let's keep going. Everyone can play their part... together, we can beat this.

The Government has announced an extension of Scarborough’s Opportunity Areas funding for another year, as part of its levelling up agenda announced last night. Nationally, there will be an £18m expansion of the Opportunity Areas programme, which helps vulnerable young people from the most disadvantaged areas in the country.

The funding will allow us to embed the success we have already seen from the Opportunity Area status covering Filey, Scarborough and Whitby. This includes the successful recruitment of extra teaching and support staff into the area – which has seen an additional 240 posts filled – as well as early access to speech and language therapy for more than 6,000 children who have been screened and support put in place to improve their communication. It will allow us to continue to embed this successful work and will also help us to respond to the challenges created by the pandemic. We want to make sure we have additional, targeted support for students where they have been affected by disruption to their schooling over recent months and we will continue to help them settle back into schooling.

We invited secondary school heads in the Selby area to consider continuing with face coverings in the classroom for two extra weeks, beyond May 17, due to the high transmission levels seen in the Selby area in recent weeks. Head teachers have some discretion with that advice and, if background rates continue to fall, we expect that advice no longer to be needed after the half-term holiday.

We are continuing to engage with different organisations, groups and individuals on how our outdoor learning service should look in the future. The review of the service is looking at what the service should provide for the county’s young people; the facilities and experiences it makes available to schools, children and young people and the best use of the sites at Bewerley Park and East Barnby. The engagement with schools and other affected groups and individuals will continue until the end of May, before works begins on using the feedback and data to formulate several different options for the service.

LEP News:Learning at work week

This week marks Learning at Work Week, an annual campaign that aims to build learning cultures at work, and put a spotlight on the importance and benefits of continual learning and development. The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub has free webinars, toolkits and information that you can utilise within your business, as well as support your staff to realise their potential.You can read more and access these resources via its website.

Do you need a business mentor?

International Coaching Week runs from the 17 to 23 May, and is a global celebration of the value that professional coaching and mentoring can bring to your business. Whether it’s tightening up your business plan, navigating tax and insurance, or overcoming challenges, a mentor can help. They can ask the right questions to uncover the things you haven’t thought of, and help you push yourself to make your business the best success it can be. If you want to learn more,read the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub’s new blog here.

Keep up to date with Covid-19 news for North Yorkshire.

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