There have been 643 new coronavirus cases and 31 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire so far this week – compared to 1,005 cases and 26 deaths by this time last week.

The government’s COVID-dashboard on Friday recorded 79 new cases in Lincolnshire, 28 in North East Lincolnshire and 23 in North Lincolnshire.

The latest data takes the total number of cases in Greater Lincolnshire to over 54,000.

On Friday, seven deaths were registered in Lincolnshire. These include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported six new local hospital deaths – five at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust. This brings the total of hospital deaths so far this week to 24, a rise from 11 last week.

National cases increased by 5,947 to 4,207,304, while deaths rose by 236 to 124,261.

In local news, the number of coronavirus patients in Greater Lincolnshire hospitals has reduced by nearly 24% in less than three weeks.
COVID-19 testing in Lincolnshire is being scaled back as part of government plans to expand home testing as children return to school.

The vaccination drive continues with a fifth of the Lincolnshire population immunised (271,604 jabs).

A graph showing Lincolnshire’s case numbers up to March 5.

However, Lincolnshire parents are being warned not to change their behaviour on the playground as schools go back next week.

Nationally, Office for National Statistics data shows that the number of coronavirus infections in the UK continued to fall.

In the seven days up to February 27, around 280,000 people were confirmed positive, a drop of about a third on the most recent date.

The latest R number – the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to – is between 0.7 and 0.9.

From Monday, care home residents will be allowed to have a regular indoor visitor as long as they take a coronavirus lateral flow test before entry and wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

Hugging and kissing their relatives will be forbidden, although hand holding will be permitted.

Elsewhere, meeting up with one other person outdoors – for example sitting together in a park with coffee, drink, or picnic, will also be permitted.

Further relaxation is hoped to happen from March 29, when the rule of six will again be allowed, along with outdoor sports facilities reopening and the stay at home rule ending.

In a press conference on Friday evening health secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the news that a mystery person in the UK infected with the COVID variant of concern first found in Brazil had now been traced.

He said the ‘unbreakable link’ between cases, hospitalisation and deaths was ‘being broken’ due to the vaccine rollout – but added testing still remains ‘critical’.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, March 5

54,126 cases (up 130)

• 38,170 in Lincolnshire (up 79)
• 8,149 in North Lincolnshire (up 23)
• 7,807 in North East Lincolnshire (up 28)

2,105 deaths (up 7)

• 1,549 from Lincolnshire (up 7)
• 300 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
• 256 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 1,244 hospital deaths (up six)

• 772 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up five)
• 41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 430 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)

4,207,304 UK cases, 124,261 deaths

A 41-year-old man from Skegness turned tragedy to triumph when he left his job to become a full-time paint artist.

James Howe, 41, used to fit suspended ceilings for a living, but after developing asthma and getting seriously injured, he decided to pursue his dream of painting full time.

His work has been featured on golf’s PGA Tour official website, after his creation of famous golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez caught the eye.

James Howe’s painting of famous golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez grabbed the attention of the golfing world.

James tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee back in 2012 while at work, and his time at home inspired him to get into painting.

He had a Banksy print at home, and used that for inspiration to go and buy some spray cans and experiment with designs.

Very quickly, James was creating canvas pieces of some of his favourite musicians, including Jim Morrison from The Doors and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones, which James describes as his favourite piece ever.

The piece that James calls his proudest achievement, Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones.

He said: “I was so pleased with how it came out, and it’s so unique with the shape of the wood.

The father-of-two’s most recent design was an acrylic of Captain Sir Tom Moore, painted onto stained scaffold boards, which he finished on Wednesday, March 3.

The Captain Sir Tom Moore artwork, which James hopes to donate to the late war veteran’s foundation.

James plans to donate the piece to the Captain Tom foundation in the hope of it being auctioned or raffled to raise money for a good cause.

His canvas designs have gathered plenty of attention since he started, and he is taking commissions for his artwork starting at £150.

He told The Lincolnite: “I think my prices are reasonable for the amount of work that goes into them; I try to sell affordable art.

“I’m usually up painting from 7am and can be out in my studio until at least midnight.

The name’s Howe… James Howe.

“I just love painting, as well as seeing the look on someone’s face and the response I get when I finish a painting for them.

“The thing I enjoy most about it is not having to work away from home all the time, I get to spend more time with my kids as a result.”

You can check out more of James’ work, as well as finding out how to enquire for a commissioned painting, on his Facebook page

National pub chain Wetherspoon announced that 394 of its pubs will reopen for outdoor service on Monday, April 12, seven of which are in Lincolnshire.

Residents in Cleethorpes, Gainsborough, Grantham, Grimsby, Lincoln, Louth and Stamford will have a Wetherspoon nearby, once pubs are allowed to serve outdoors in April.

It is the next step in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, following the returning of children to schools on March 8.

Customers will no longer need to order a substantial meal every time they order a drink, but they will have to order, eat and drink while seated outside.

The list of Lincolnshire Wetherspoon pubs that will reopen are:

• The Coliseum Picture Theatre – Cleethorpes
• The Sweyn Forkbeard – Gainsborough
• The Tollemache Inn – Grantham
• The Yarborough Hotel – Grimsby
• The Ritz – Lincoln
• The Joseph Morton – Louth
• The Stamford Post – Stamford

The Square Sail will not reopen on April 12. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

There will also be no curfew for pubs when they reopen, and Wetherspoon will be operating from 9am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Food will be available to order between 9am and 8pm with a slightly reduced menu that still includes breakfasts, pub classics and burgers.

Ritz will open in Lincoln, but The Square Sail on the Brayford will not (little outdoor space). Other notable absences from the list include The Packhorse Inn in Sleaford and The Red Lion in Skegness.

A total of 19 Wetherspoon pubs can be found in Greater Lincolnshire, meaning less than half will reopen on the April 12 guidance date.

It is unclear when the other 12 will reopen, and whether or not it will be before June 21, when all coronavirus restrictions are planned to be lifted.

The number of coronavirus patients in Greater Lincolnshire hospitals has reduced by nearly 24% in less than three weeks.

The figure had already dropped by a third on February 16 when there were 170 patients with coronavirus being treated at hospitals across the county.

In more positive news for Greater Lincolnshire, the figure has dropped further by almost a quarter as of Friday, March 5

Across the four hospital trusts in the county there are currently 130 patients, which is a reduction of the 170 figure from February 16.

United Lincolnshire NHS Trust (ULHT) had 95 COVID positive patients on February 16 and this number has now fallen to 76.

There were 44 patients with coronavirus at Lincoln County Hospital as of Friday morning with a further 29 at Boston Pilgrim. The figure has risen slightly by a further three across the two hospitals by later in the day.

As of Friday morning, the Northern Lincolnshire Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) has 50 patients with coronavirus, a reduction of eight from the previous data.

Of these patients, 22 are at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby and 28 at Scunthorpe General Hospital. One of the 50 patients is in ICU at Scunthorpe.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust currently has four COVID-19 positive inpatients across its community hospital sites. This is a reduction from the seven patients at the trust’s sites on February 16.

The Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been boosted by the news that it currently has no patients with coronavirus within the trust, which is a reduction of 10 from the previous data.

Martin Fahy, Director of Nursing and Quality at NHS Lincolnshire CCG, told BBC Radio Lincolnshire that the bed occupancy rate at ULHT’s hospitals has now improved from 100% to around 70%, which he said is an “improving position”.