'Major incident' declared in North Yorkshire as coronavirus cases surge

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) is made up senior figures from the police and local authorities who plan for localised incidents and catastrophic emergencies.

It first declared the Covid-19 pandemic a major incident at the start of the outbreak and has today announced the reinstatement of its "full emergency mode" after cases more than quadrupled over the last fortnight.

Officials are particularly concerned about the Harrogate and Selby districts, as well as parts of Scarborough and Craven.

They have also expressed worries about infections amongst care home staff and residents, as well as the national problems with testing capacity.

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In response, the NYLRF said it has directed local testing facilities towards areas of greatest need and stepped up support to care homes, with some being told to reintroduce visitor restrictions.

In addition, people in the Selby and Scarborough districts are also being encouraged to wear face coverings whenever they leave home.

Richard Flinton, chair of NYLRF, said: “In North Yorkshire we have remained at a high level of alert since lockdown eased and we have monitored and managed outbreaks where they have happened very successfully with Test and Trace.

“However, we are seeing community transmission of the virus now and a worrying rise in cases in a number of areas. We know how quickly infection rates can change and we are calling on the whole county to act now with us in response.

“Please show extra restraint and caution and to take additional actions above and beyond those required nationally to help us try to avoid another lockdown here.”

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, the county's director of public health, told a meeting there were around one to two new cases per day at the end of July.

There are now around 20 new cases per day.

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Dr Sargeant also said the "significant limitations" with laboratory capacity nationally means that fewer test appointments are available and results are taking longer to be processed.

He said: “This issue is a national one and outside of our control. We have escalated our concerns nationally and we are targeting our local testing facilities towards the communities and people in greatest need”.

North Yorkshire Police superintendent Mike Walker said the force has put dedicated patrol cars on the roads for officers to engage with groups who are not following social distancing rules.

He said: "As a partnership we are strong but we cannot do this alone. So please do the right thing for the county and go the extra mile to keep safe.

"Do everything you can to limit the chances of inadvertently spreading Coronavirus. Keep your distance, use a face covering and wash your hands regularly."

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter