Follow the Rules Plea from County Council As Scarborough Borough COVID Case Surge

Council Chief Exec says most people are following the rules, but some are flouting them and everyone is paying for that behaviour.

The Scarborough Borough now has a average seven day infection rate of 512 people per 100,000

That's the highest in North Yorkshire and well ahead of the average across England which stands at 254.

In his latest public newsletter Chief Executive of North Yorkshire County Council Richard Flinton says

"The facts are unavoidable and while most of you will be rigidly sticking to the rules, unfortunately some continue to flout them. The outcome is that we all pay for that behaviour. We all wait longer to see our families, to support our shops and restaurants and to return to the lifestyle we enjoy. "

Mr Flinton says the current situation is the county costing lives.

"We lose one person every day in North Yorkshire to this virus. That is another family every day losing a loved one.

Infection rates are soaring in many areas. These are measured as a figure across the seven-day rolling average, per 100,000 people. We had been doing very well and we went into the current lockdown in the lowest tier of intervention.

Sadly, our current rates put us in a very different place. We now have three areas above the England average, which is 245.

Hambleton stands at 263, Harrogate at 295 and levels in Scarborough have soared to 463. Selby is only just below that England average.

I feel sure that as a county – when faced with the stark statistics on such an important day as this – we will want to rise to the challenge and come together as the team we can be to overcome the current threat to our families, our friends and our way of life. "

Mr Flinton also expresses concern about the impact COVID is having on local business.

"Our economy is also suffering. Our hospitality sector, famous the world over for its hearty welcome and high-quality food and drink, is in lockdown again. And although we have generally good levels of employment across the county, we also struggle with low wages and high house prices in many areas.

A good number of our younger residents get their first taste of work, and probably a good deal of pleasure, from this sector and they play a vital role in ensuring we have a buoyant visitor economy, based on great customer service and strong levels of return visits here.  

Many of you will understandably be worried about future job prospects I am sure. I know that very many of you will share my passion for the county and its people and for our ability to come together to get through this and thrive again. Over the weeks ahead, we will need to harness that collective energy and take some dynamic action if we are to emerge from the second national lockdown in the same tier we were when we entered."

He concludes that the solution for the county is simply to follow the lockdown and social distancing rules.

"The facts are unavoidable and while most of you will be rigidly sticking to the rules, unfortunately some continue to flout them. The outcome is that we all pay for that behaviour. We all wait longer to see our families, to support our shops and restaurants and to return to the lifestyle we enjoy. So what can we do?

We can give this fight our absolute focus. We can show the grit and resilience we are famous for. We can explain to those around us why it matters and we can play our part in turning the tide on the virus here. Let’s take this day of reflection to pull together and show everyone what we are made of.  

Let’s do it for the people and the places we love and take the action that we know will make a difference. Hands, face and make space.

No more gatherings, no more rule breaking. Let’s get those rates down and look forward to better times ahead. "