Harrogate faces difficult 'balancing act' on Covid and the economy in weeks to come says council leader
and live on Freeview channel 276
The town may have escaped the toughest restrictions of the Prime Minister’s new three-tier lockdown system so far.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBut news that the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate has been put on standby and talk of a drift towards a new ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown is spreading fear of a ‘worst case scenario’ for local businesses this winter.
Coun Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said everyone was working towards the best outcome for the town but the time of easy decisions had gone.
Coun Cooper said: “There are few easy decisions when it comes to containing Covid-19 and there are no decisions that will be universally accepted.
"We all want our lives to be as normal as they can be but we also want our elderly friends and relatives to be protected.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It is a difficult balance between those two aspects and with people’s mental health, their livelihoods and more.”
At the moment, Harrogate and the rest of North Yorkshire is in Tier 1 in the Government's new system for tackling the pandemic, which is the lowest of the three levels and has the least punishing measures to comply with.
But that has not stopped alarm over the already and increasingly tough situation for businesses in the hospitality sector, in particular, being sounded by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber’s chief executive Sandra Doherty said she remained very concerned. She said: “If we were to go up a level or even go back into shut down the results will be immediately felt and devastating for the town.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBut there is uncertainty over which circumstances would see Harrogate being moved into the worst tiers.
Would any future switch from one tier of Covid restrictions to a higher one apply to across the whole of North Yorkshire or would it apply only to areas where the virus figures have spiked?
Council leader Richard Cooper said he would not like to see Harrogate suffer under any future North Yorkshire-wide lockdown if its own figures did not justify it.
He said: “It would seem sensible to look at additional measures in the areas of higher transmission only. The difficulty with this is that people travel within the county and take the virus with them.”
What are the restrictions for ‘Tier Three’ regions?
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTier 3 restrictions mean that pubs, bars, gyms, casinos and adult gaming centres must be immediately shut.
Local lockdown restrictions must be agreed between Government and local council leaders before being announced and applied.
What are the restrictions for ‘Tier Two’ regions?
Anyone living in a Tier 2 area is prohibited to meet anyone not in their household or bubble indoors.
Pubs and restaurants will remain open to the public but as with Tier 1 restrictions, will also close at 10pm and need to comply with the strict social distancing measures in place.
What are the restrictions for ‘Tier One’ regions?
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTier 1 regions are regarded as ‘Medium Risk’ and basically follow the guidelines which were set out before the Tier system was introduced
This includes obeying the Rule of Six, pubs and restaurants having to close by 10pm and people working from home where possible.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.
Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.