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There have been 217 new coronavirus cases and four COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday — compared to 204 cases and 10 deaths last Wednesday.

The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 157 new cases in Lincolnshire, 38 in North East Lincolnshire and 22 in North Lincolnshire.

On Wednesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported two new local hospital deaths on Wednesday, one at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

On Wednesday, national cases increased by 9,938 to 4,144,577, deaths rose by 442 to 121,747 and first dose jabs surpassed 18 million.

In local news, all four Lincoln and Boston COVID-19 rapid testing sites will remain open until at least the end of March in a bid to test, trace and combat the spread of coronavirus in the county.

In Lincoln, these include the Sincil Bank and St Swithin’s centres, and in Boston the Peter Paine Performance Centre and Tollfield Campus Haven High, but these Boston sites will be relocated.

By March 2, the new sites in Boston will be the Fenside Community Centre, Taverner Road and St Nicholas Community Centre, Skirbeck Road.

Students at the University of Lincoln will be advised to return to campus a week early for coronavirus testing ahead of some face-to-face teaching resuming next month.

From March 8, face-to-face learning can resume for University of Lincoln students doing practical or practice-based subjects and need specialist equipment and facilities. Universities were told not to ask students to return if their course can reasonably be continued online.

Lincolnshire councillors are “pleased” with the government’s plan to get children back in classrooms from March 8, but said the pandemic had a major impact on pupils’ learning.

The roadmap out of lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday where all secondary school pupils will have to take two rapid lateral flow tests a week once back, but primary school children will not need to do so.

Greater Lincolnshire has seen a fall in infection rates since Monday, mirroring a decrease nationally.

South Holland has overtaken Boston with the highest county infection rate of 183.1 per 100,000 people.

Five of the nine Greater Lincolnshire districts have seen a rise in infection rates since Monday, with North East Lincolnshire jumping to fourth place.

Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate over the last seven days up to February 24, according to the government dashboard:

Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Feb 17 to Feb 24. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite

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Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, February 24

Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.

52,791 cases (up 217)

• 37,264 in Lincolnshire (up 157)
• 7,946 in North Lincolnshire (up 22)
• 7,581 in North East Lincolnshire (up 38)

2,057 deaths (up four)

• 1,511 from Lincolnshire (up three)
• 299 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
• 247 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 1,209 hospital deaths (up two)

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

4,144,577 UK cases, 121,747 deaths

DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.

School teachers will decide grades for GCSE and A-level students this year as examinations are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grades can be determined by how the pupils perform in mock exams, coursework and essays within class.

Exam boards will offer optional assessment material for schools to use by Easter, and teachers can pick subject-specific questions to ask students, but not in an exam setting.

These test papers will help teachers to make their judgement, but are not timed exams and will not decide any final grades.

Teachers are expected to submit grades to the exam boards by June 18.

Results will be given to A-level students on August 10 and GCSE results will come two days later, earlier than previous years.

This is to allow for students to appeal their grades in August, leaving adequate time to apply for university.

Teacher assessed grades will also be implemented for students studying Btecs and other vocational qualifications.

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will set out his plans for the exam season in the House of Commons on Thursday.

It is the second year running that grades will not be judged on exam performance in schools as a result of coronavirus, though this year algorithms and fixed shares of grades will not be used.

Last year teachers were asked to rank students in order of their expected achievements in each grade band, but that has been scrapped for 2021 after protests and U-turns last summer.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet on Thursday morning that “no child should be left behind” in their learning, as many students feel they are playing catch up as a result of being in lockdown.

Upon returning to classrooms on March 8, secondary school students will have to take two lateral flow COVID-19 tests a week and wear face masks when social distancing isn’t possible.

Two men claiming to be from ‘the water board’ have allegedly targeted elderly people in a series of distraction burglaries in the West Lindsey area.

Four incidents were reported to Lincolnshire Police on Tuesday, February 23, which are believed to have happened between 3pm and 5.45pm that day. Jewellery and money were stolen in one of the incidents.

In each incident, two white males described as in their 20s have arrived at properties in Market Rasen, Middle Rasen, Bardney and Washingborough.

The two men approached an elderly victim on her drive in the first incident in Market Rasen at around 3pm (incident 275).

Both males were wearing a light coloured shirt and grey trousers and gained entry to the rear of the property without permission.

When challenged by the victim they claimed to be looking for a friend and immediately left the property. Nothing was taken.

At around 3.30pm, two men visited a property in Middle Rasen to alert an elderly couple of an alleged issue with a water leak (incident 294). They gained entry to the victim’s property without permission, but no money or items were lost.

An incident was reported in Bardney, which is believed to have happened just before 4pm (incident 347).

Two men of a similar description visited the victim’s property and claimed they had come to check the water measure No money or items were taken.

At around 5pm, two men also claiming to be from the water board visited the property of a woman in her 80s on Malvern Avenue in Washingborough (incident 339).

The victim was told the alleged employees needed to enter to inspect the property for possible leaks. A sum of money and jewellery were then stolen.

Anglian Water have since warned that all staff always wear branded clothing and carry ID.

Anyone with information or CCTV footage should contact Lincolnshire Police on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting the relevant incident number of February 23.

Alternatively, it can be reported through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online here.

Meanwhile, staff at East Midlands Ambulance Service in Scunthorpe helped to prevent their elderly patient from losing thousands of pounds to a scam.

Lincoln’s first Taco Bell has been unanimously approved by City of Lincoln Council.

Taylor Lindsey was granted planning permission in Wednesday’s Planning Committee to turn the former Pizza Hut on Nettleham Road into a drive-thru version of the Mexican-inspired fast food chain.

It will open daily between 11am to 11pm. In a planning statement Taco Bell said the unit will lead to to the creation of 25 full-time and 30 part-time jobs opportunities.

The former Pizza Hut on Nettleham Road will be converted into a Taco Bell. | Image: Google Streetview

The shared car park with KFC would see some “minor reconfiguration” according to the plans.

Development Director Dan Race previously said works were hoped to begin in early spring 2021, with a view to opening the new restaurant in summer 2021.

Proposed front (North East) elevation for the restaurant on Nettleham Road. | Design: Frank Belshaw Building Surveyors Ltd/Taco Bell

A second application by Raja Adil of Lionacre Properties (SC) Limited to convert Everest Xpress Nepalese and Indian takeaway on lower High Street into a Taco Bell is still pending consideration.

A Design & Access Statement from Frank Belshaw Building Surveyors Ltd on behalf of Taco Time Ltd says there are also plans to change the use of the upper floors at 412 High Street from a residential flat into a restaurant and takeaway.

There are plans to convert Everest Xpress on Lincoln High Street into a Taco Bell restaurant and takeaway. | Photo: The Lincolnite