Coronavirus update - Harrogate hospital statement and precautions by Harrogate Wetherspoons, Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate Convention Centre and Royal Hall

The trust has however stressed, alongside local government authorities, that robust plans are already in place, and measures are under constant review to ensure public safety.

As of yesterday, the number of cases in the UK stood at 85, but the Harrogate district’s NHS trust has reassured patients, staff and visitors that services are still “functioning as normal,” with ‘coronavirus pods’ remaining outside Harrogate District Hospital’s emergency department to keep anyone attending hospital with symptoms of the virus isolated from other patients, and alleviate any unnecessary strains on A&E itself.

The reassurance comes after two Harrogate high schools took precautions by advising a group of their students to self-isolate following half-term skiing trips to Italy.

Medical Director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Dr David Scullion, said all residents have an important role to play in preventing any spread of the diease.

He said: “Over the coming weeks, many more of us may need to self-isolate at home for a period to reduce this virus’s spread. Everyone can continue to play their part by taking simple steps such as washing hands to prevent the spread of infection and calling NHS 111 first before going to the doctors or the emergency department if they have any concerns about or show symptoms of coronavirus.

“For people who have routine hospital appointments with us, or need to come to hospital for any reason, please be reassured that our services are functioning as normal.”

Harrogate Borough Council has stated that the potential threat of coronavirus has to date had ‘no impact’ on the delivery of any of its services, but added they are working closely with partners to monitor the situation, and have developed their own internal plans.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We are working with partners to closely monitor the situation and are following the latest guidance issued by Public Health England.

“We also have our own internal plans to deal with this type of situation and keeping this under review as the situation changes.

“Guidance on how to minimise risk has been shared with colleagues and communications are updated on a regular basis.

“A link to the latest governance advice has been placed on our website to ensure that staff and public have up-to-date information. We are also putting up additional signage across our facilities as well as sharing social media messages.”

Boris Johnson announced yesterday that statutory sick pay will be available to workers staying at home with possible coronavirus infections from the first day of illness.

Impact on Harrogate businesses

Businesses in Harrogate’s events, hospitality and leisure sectors are taking widespread precautions against the threat of a potential coronavirus outbreak.

Harrogate’s Wetherspoons branch said “there is more focus than ever on personal hygiene,” and that customer contact points such as door handles are being sanitised on an hourly basis.

The pub chain’s spokesperson, Eddie Gershon, has stressed, however, that coronavirus hasn’t affected the day to day operation of Harrogate Wetherspoons, and that it is still very much ‘business as usual.’

Two of Harrogate’s leading venues for live music, conferences and family entertainment have also issued a joint statement regarding the future of their upcoming events amid coronavirus concerns.

Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall have confirmed that there are currently “no plans” to cancel any events at this stage, but they are closely monitoring the situation.

A joint statement from the venues reads: “We have no plans to cancel any events at Harrogate Convention Centre and Royal Hall, at this stage. We will continuously monitor the situation and implement appropriate health and safety precautions to ensure our commitments to the safety of our attendees.

“Appropriate measures are being put in place at the venue, including multiple hand-sanitisers, and training of all staff on hygiene measures.”

The venues have also issued advice for event attendees, stating: “We advise all attendees to practice safe hygiene measures including, not shaking hands with other attendees, thoroughly washing hands regularly, using the hand sanitiser provided, and sneezing into tissues followed by immediate and appropriate disposal, in bins provided.”

Public fears around the disease have prompted Harrogate District Hospital to urge ‘extremely disrespectful’ visitors to stop photographing and videoing other patients - who they don’t know - receiving tests for coronavirus.

There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital and across the district’s NHS trust, but the hospital has had ‘coronavirus pods’ installed at its emergency department so that anyone attending hospital with symptoms of the virus can be kept isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A&E.

In a statement, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said: “There have been no confirmed cases of Coronavirus at the Trust. However, over the past couple of weeks there have been a few occasions at Harrogate District Hospital where patients and visitors have been taking photos and video of other patients – who they don’t know – receiving tests in relation to potential Coronavirus. Staff have had their photos taken as well.

“We’re very much stating the obvious here, but it’s extremely disrespectful to make recordings of strangers receiving care/tests. It’s disrespectful to make recordings of strangers full stop, healthcare setting or otherwise.

“In fairness, we generally don’t have people taking inappropriate photos on site, but clearly a small number of people have got over-excited because it’s coronavirus-related. Please could we continue to be respectful and kind to each other, and do not film or take photographs of patients and staff in any clinical setting.”

Accommodation provider Harrogate Lifestyle Apartments has reported quite a significant reduction in bookings over the last week - something they have attributed to coronavirus fears.

Guest relations and sales and marketing manager Jessica Lister said: “We have been trading in the Harrogate-based serviced apartment industry for 12 years and have a good understanding of booking lead times, so we can only attribute this to fears over the coronavirus.

“Harrogate Lifestyle Apartments are rated five out of five on TripAdvisor for cleanliness and we will continue to work hard to ensure the right precautions are in place. Our cleaning teams are adding additional processes where we feel it necessary.

“We need local businesses who book accommodation regularly for colleagues or clients visiting Harrogate, to know that booking a stay in our apartments requires little or no contact with staff. Guests are sent all the codes to access their apartment in advance, so they can self-check-in and check out.”

Harrogate’s North Bar has also issued a statement emphasising that the safety of customers and staff is of paramount importance, and that they are taking every precaution.