Follow the latest coronavirus lockdown updates from Lincoln and Lincolnshire.
3,481 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire (up from 3,473)
2,528 in Lincolnshire (up from 2521)
736 in North Lincolnshire (no change)
217 in North East Lincolnshire (up from 216)
439 COVID-19 deaths in Greater Lincolnshire healthcare (no change)
143 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
4 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
118 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
114 in Lincolnshire care homes (no change)
52 in North Lincolnshire care homes (no change)
7 in North East Lincolnshire care homes (no change)
461 COVID-19 deaths from Greater Lincolnshire postcodes (no change)
319 from Lincolnshire (no change)
106 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
36 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
304,695 cases, 46,201 deaths in total
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.
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27th July 2020 11:05am
Fourth COVID-19 death in July as 16 new cases confirmed
There has been one new coronavirus-related hospital death reported and 16 new cases of COVID-19 in the Greater Lincolnshire region over the weekend.
According to NHS figures, the death was reported at United Lincolnshire Hospitals on Sunday, taking the total number of people to die within the trusts facilities to 143.
Lincolnshire Community Health Service, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals all remained unchanged.
According to the government’s coronavirus dashboard, 454 people from Greater Lincolnshire have died, with 438 of those confirmed to be in hospital facilities or care homes under local councils’ or hospital trusts’ care.
For confirmed cases, the weekend figures showed an increase of 14 in Lincolnshire, hitting the 2,500 mark.
Meanwhile, North Lincolnshire saw an increase of two, to a total of 733.
North Lincolnshire confirmed no further cases.
The breakdown for the total 3,446 cumulative cases is as follows:
2,500 in Lincolnshire (up from 2,486)
733 in North Lincolnshire (up from 731)
213 in North East Lincolnshire (no change)
Nationally, the number of cases increased to 299,426 while the number of deaths rose to 45,752.
27th July 2020 3:53pm
No COVID-19 deaths in Lincolnshire for Monday
Greater Lincolnshire has seen no coronavirus-related deaths in hospitals on Monday.
NHS statistics released this afternoon show none of the trusts across Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire or North East Lincolnshire reported any COVID-19 deaths.
The local figures break down as:
143 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
3 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
118 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
So far this month there has been four COVID-19 related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire. The latest death reported yesterday (Sunday) brought to an end six-consecutive days without for the region.
Although figures will be further updated later today, the weekend saw 16 new confirmed cases .
The latest government statistics showed additional positive tests for Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.
The total 3,446 cases for Greater Lincolnshire currently breaks down as:
2,500 in Lincolnshire (up from 2,486)
733 in North Lincolnshire (up from 731)
213 in North East Lincolnshire (no change)
27th July 2020 5:06pm
Six new coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire
There have been six new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s dashboard shows an additional four cases in Lincolnshire and two in North East Lincolnshire. No further cases were confirmed in North Lincolnshire.
So far there have been 3,452 cases across the region, which break down as:
2,504 in Lincolnshire (up from 2,500)
733 in North Lincolnshire (no change)
215 in North East Lincolnshire (up from 213)
Nationally cases passed the 300,000 mark, rising by 685 to 300,111.
There were seven deaths confirmed nationally, bringing the total to 45,759.
According to the government’s website there have also been no further deaths added to the tally for each area’s postcode, leaving the tally at 454.
It comes after NHS England figures said there were no additional deaths in hospitals covering the three local authorities.
The local figures for hospital services break down as:
143 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
3 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
118 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
28th July 2020 10:51am
Quarantine after travel “tricky”, says Lincolnshire health boss
The latest quarantine rules for those returning from Spain creates a “tricky” situation for some holidaymakers, Lincolnshire health bosses have said.
The UK government is currently advising against all but essential travel to Spain, and has imposed the 14-day quarantine on anyone arriving from the country following a spike in cases.
Andy Fox, consultant in public health at Lincolnshire County Council, said anyone travelling to Spain would need to bear the quarantine period in mind.
“That is going to be too much for some people, it’s going to be tricky to do.
“That 14 day period of time will give plenty of time for you to develop symptoms and to get tested.
The latest move has caused heated debate between the two nation’s governments’.
Mr Fox said it was “really important to remember that we are still trying to prevent that second wave of infection in the UK.”
Lincolnshire is now at the bottom of the peak and back to levels of new cases similar to the beginning of the pandemic.
“[It] could potentially be far more disruptive than the first time and require maybe a second lockdown, which we all want to avoid.
“If it’s a choice between [quarantine] and entering another second wave, then the quarantine although disruptive – and I do feel for people whose holiday plans have been disrupted – will be far less disruptive than the impact of the second wave.”
He stopped short of saying Spain would be riskier than a staycation in Skegness and advised people travelling to ensure they take proper precautions against “unknown quantities”.
However, he said his family would be staying in the UK rather than travelling to France this year.
“I’m a big fan of holidaying overseas myself, I do love going to France but for this period of time we decided to stay in the UK.”
Meanwhile, Lincolnshire Police is the only UK force to fine a person for breaching quarantine after entering the country from abroad.
The fine was issued in Boston to a 39-year-old man who arrived from Bulgaria on July 13.
28th July 2020 12:01pm
Lincolnshire housing market heading for post-COVID “golden age”
Estate agents in Lincolnshire are experiencing a boom in sales post-lockdown, reaching levels not seen since the start of the millennium.
A combination of factors is being described including a change in how people from densely urban areas have expanded their needs after being stuck in apartments with little-to-no gardens or small “office” spaces for three months.
Trying to keep healthy and fit and working from home have presented their own problems – whereas many properties in Lincolnshire are cheaper while providing space or extra room.
Other factors include a cut to stamp duty, affordable prices, low mortgage interest rates as well as pent-up demand put on hold when lockdown began.
Tim Downing, of Pygott and Crone, said they had sold 185 houses in June and 200 so far in July – around 50% up on where they would normally be.
Second day without COVID-19 deaths in Lincolnshire
Greater Lincolnshire has seen no coronavirus-related deaths in hospitals on Tuesday.
NHS statistics released this afternoon show none of the trusts across Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire or North East Lincolnshire reported any COVID-19 deaths.
The local figures break down as:
143 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
3 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
118 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
So far this month there has been four COVID-19 related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire. The latest death reported on Sunday brought to an end a six-consecutive day run without for the region.
Although figures will be further updated later today, Monday saw six new confirmed cases .
The total 3,452 cases for Greater Lincolnshire currently breaks down as:
2,504 in Lincolnshire (up from 2,500)
733 in North Lincolnshire (no change)
215 in North East Lincolnshire (up from 213)
29th July 2020 1:44pm
Tuk Tuk firm still hoping to move some summer trade
The owners of a new Tuk Tuk taxi tour planned for Lincoln are still hoping to make a go of their new venture this summer, should a licence be granted next week.
It had hoped to open in April, however, the coronavirus pandemic saw the country locked down the week before the licence was initially due to be reviewed.
If approved, owner Christine Kimbrell, says she is hoping they may still be able to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer to test the water, but would still need to find and employ a driver.
If not, then the service’s start will be pushed back to April 2021 at the latest.
Burger King is now back open at the St Marks Shopping Centre with a reduced menu, but also some tasty new items.
The fast food restaurant reopened at 11am on Wednesday, July 29 for dine in, takeaway and delivery and The Lincolnite was the first customer. It will have shorter opening hours from 12pm-8pm.
The reduced menu includes the new Halloumi Bacon King and a sharer box, which comes with five chicken fries, nuggets, chilli cheese bites, onions rings and two dips.
These Lincoln businesses are offering 50% off meals in August
The government will be subsidising meals out in August, and almost 100 businesses in Lincoln are taking part in the scheme.
It allows people to get 50% off meals and non-alcoholic drinks, up to £10 a head, when they dine in, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from August 3 to the end of the month.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced the scheme as part of his summer statement to help get the economy running again after COVID-19.
Participating restaurants that register for Eat Out to Help Out scheme are be able to claim back all discounts.
There have been seven new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday.
The government’s dashboard shows six new cases across Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire.
There were no new confirmed cases in North East Lincolnshire.
There have been 13 cases confirmed so far since Monday morning.
So far there have been 3,452 cases across the region.
Nationally cases rose by 763 to 301,455.
There were 83 deaths confirmed nationally, bringing the total to 45,961.
Government’s updated figures also showed no increase in deaths of people from the three authorities leaving the total at 457.
The figure above includes not only the 438 deaths in hospitals and care homes, which saw no increases earlier today, but also deaths in the community or in hospitals outside the regions boundaries.
30th July 2020 11:19am
COVID-19 self-isolation period extended to 10 days
People must now self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days if they show coronavirus symptoms, new government guidance says.
The increase is an additional three days to the previous seven already advised.
It follows new evidence that people who become mildly ill can still be infectious seven to nine days after the onset of COVID-19.
A statement from the UK’s four chief medical officers said: “Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with COVID-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset.
Boston Christmas market gets funding boost from COVID cancelled events
Boston Christmas Market is still set to go ahead, with funds from 2020 events cancelled by COVID-19 ploughed into it.
According to a report before Boston Town Area Committee, the plan is for a four-day event.
Under the current plans, unspent money would increase the Christmas budget from £14,500 to £22,000.
The plan would be to hold a four-day event in the Bargate Green car park starting on the day of the Christmas Lights Switch On and would include alpine wooden huts, a small fairground ride, live music and a food and drink area.
Some £2,000 of the budget would be used to retest lighting columns ready for the next two events seasons.
A further £13,500 unspent budget could also be used to create an “illuminated fire farden” in partnership with public arts organisation Transported.
Burton Road Chippy closing restaurant due to COVID-19
The popular Burton Road Chippy will not be reopening its restaurant due to the coronavirus crisis, but the takeaway will remain open as usual ahead of moving to new premises this autumn.
With the restaurant closing, the chippy located at 169 Burton Road will move to number 119, next door to Teleservice, in mid-September where it will continue to offer takeaway only.
It will restart its gluten-free offering once it has moved into the new shop. In the meantime, the takeaway will remain open at its current location.
Greater Lincolnshire’s hospitals reported a new coronavirus-related death on Thursday.
The latest NHS figures show one further death of a patient who tested positive for coronavirus at Lincolnshire Community Health Service facilities.
No other deaths were reported at trusts across the region.
So far this month there has been five COVID-19 related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire.
Nationally, a further 12 people who tested positive for the Coronavirus have died in hospitals in England bringing the total to 29,329.
266 people have died in hospitals across the region so far during the pandemic.
Government figures are due to be updated later today, but currently put the total tally at 457 people from the three local authorities who have died.
The figure includes deaths outside healthcare services and those which took place in other authorities.
Wednesday saw seven new confirmed cases, bringing the cumulative total for Greater Lincolnshire to 3,459.
31st July 2020 11:15am
July is the lowest month for new COVID-19 cases in Lincolnshire
July is set to be the month with the fewest cases of COVID-19 in Lincolnshire since the start of the pandemic.
There were six new positive coronavirus cases reported on the government’s dashboard late on Thrusday: three in Lincolnshire, two in North Lincolnshire and one in North East Lincolnshire.
There was also one new COVID-19 death in the same update, separate to hospital figures and organised by postcode, bringing the county total to 316.
Overall there have been 125 new cases across Greater Lincolnshire this month, not including a large dump of ‘pillar two’ data (from testing sites, mobile and home testing) by government on July 2.
No increase in yearly death rate in Lincolnshire despite coronavirus peak
Lincolnshire saw nearly the same amount of people die in the first half of the year as the past five-year average — however the numbers align with the COVID-pandemic, say health bosses.
Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health Derek Ward said the county saw 4,261 deaths in total between January to June this year.
The five-year average for Lincolnshire in that time period is 4,258 — just three deaths lower.
However, Mr Ward said that from January to March deaths were 20-30% lower than in previous years.
“And then from week 14 we saw a spike in all cause mortality that, obviously, corresponds with the peak of the epidemic in the county where we were seeing 50% more deaths than we would normally do at that time of year,” he said.
“And then it drops back down as we came back down from the peak and now we’re back to our normal season on average.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has postponed lifting certain COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in response to an increase cases of the virus.
Cinemas, bowling alleys, skating rinks and casinos were among the venues due to be able to open from tomorrow (Saturday, August 1), however, will now have to wait until at least August 15.
In a briefing on Friday, Mr Johnson also announced that from August 8, face coverings will be “encouraged” in more venues such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship.
He said the government had previously said they “would not hesitate to put the brakes on” if cases rose, and said now was “the time to squeeze that brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control.”
Mr Johnson said: “I’m really, really sorry about that, but we really cannot take the risk.”
Imps lost £1.5m in matchday revenue due to COVID-19
Lincoln City Football Club has missed out on over £1.5 million in matchday revenue as a result of COVID-19, a new analysis shows.
Business Rescue Expert looked at the potential revenue lost by football teams due to coronavirus lockdown. It found the absence of supporters in stadiums has had big detrimental impact on football teams, particularly Lincoln City.
Of all the teams from League One, the Imps rank 5th in the amount of money they have lost, totalling an estimate of £1,509,648.
Lincoln Drill Hall will not reopen until early 2021 at the earliest, as the current government guidance would mean a large majority of its shows would still be “financially unviable”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced earlier this month that indoor performances with socially distanced audiences will be able to take place across the country at indoor theatres, music and performance venues from August 1. Then on Friday he announced a further 15-days delay.
However, Lincoln Drill Hall, New Theatre Royal and the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre have all decided not return any time soon.
Grantham packing factory cutting 19 staff due to COVID
Nineteen staff are at risk of redundancy at a factory in Grantham as part of a restructure of the business caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Macfarlane Packaging Design and Manufacture operation on the Alma Park Industrial Estate in Grantham employs 88 staff. It designs and produces protective packaging for high value items for industrial customers.
The packaging site, which is owned by the Macfarlane Group PLC in Scotland, plans to reduce the number of roles down to 69 and a consultation process is underway until the end of August. It will also explore redeploying staff elsewhere in the company.
Two Lincolnshire criminals sentenced to a combined total of 40 years in prison for sickening sex offences against children were among those jailed in Lincolnshire in February.
The Lincolnite‘s court reporters cover all the biggest cases heard in courts in our region every day.
Here’s a round up of signifiant cases resulting in prison sentences in and near the county.
In addition, William Clawson was arrested this month and recalled to prison after a fourth time on the run from police.
Timothy Mawer
Tim Mawer, 52, committed 62 sexual offences on 13 different boys in an 18-year period. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Former Lincoln area badminton coach Timothy Mawer, 52, was jailed for 20 years after grooming and then carrying out “vile” sexual assaults on young boys over an 18-year period.
Pawel Relowicz was found guilty of the murder and rape of Libby Squire. | Photo: Humberside Police
Butcher and serial sex offender Pawel Relowicz, who raped and murdered University of Hull student Libby Squire, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years in prison. Her body was found near Grimsby Docks.
Martin Ashmore was jailed for six years and nine months. | Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
Sleaford man Martin Ashmore, 58, was described by Nottinghamshire Police as a “manipulative and predatory” offender after being jailed for six years and nine months for indecently assaulting two girls in the early to mid-1990s.
A BMW driver who caused a double fatal collision when she overtook a line of traffic at an estimated 80mph and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
This isn’t the first time Claire Parker has been in prison as she was previously jailed for hosting dog fights.
Daniel Noddings was jailed for 40 months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A driver caused devastating injuries to a Lincolnshire police officer when she went to help him after he was found slumped over his steering wheel in a supermarket car park. Daniel Noddings, 37, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years and four months.
Svajunas Navagruckas was jailed for over two years. | Photo: HMRC
The ringleader of an illegal cigarettes smuggling plot at a Lincoln farm was jailed. Svajunas Navagruckas, 51, was one of HMRC’s most wanted tax fugitives and was sentenced to 28 months in prison, three years after he flew to Lithuania to avoid the investigation.
Mark Elsworth was jailed for 18 months, but is likely to be released immediately because of the length of time he was remanded in custody. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Mark Elsworth was jailed for 18 months for terrifying his neighbours with his behaviour, but he is likely to be released immediately because of the length of time he was remanded in custody.
There have been 1,005 new coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and 26 COVID-related deaths so far this week — compared to 867 cases and 40 deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 113 new cases in Lincolnshire, 20 in North Lincolnshire and 18 in North East Lincolnshire.
On Friday, four deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, two in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. 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 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, bringing the total so far this week to 11, a drop from 20 last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 8,523 to 4,163,085, deaths rose by 345 to 122,415 while COVID first jab numbers hit over 19 million.
This week has seen Greater Lincolnshire overtake the England average infection rate by seven cases per 100,000.
Six of the nine districts have seen an increase in their infection rates since Wednesday but health bosses expect to see numbers going up and down, so it isn’t too concerning.
The England average has continued to fall over the past week.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates over the last week up to February 26:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Feb 19 to Feb 26. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Local health bosses said there are no COVID mutations of concern in Lincolnshire currently, but they have a plan if new variants enter the county.
The plan is called ‘Operation Eagle’ and would include surge testing and contact tracing to find where the variant first appeared in Lincolnshire.
The Kent mutation is present in the majority of cases in Lincolnshire and is known to be around 70% more transmissible, but not more dangerous.
Variants of concern include the South African mutation which can spread more rapidly and vaccines might not work quite as well against it.
However, there is no evidence it causes more serious illness for the majority of those who come into contact with it either.
In national news, the UK’s coronavirus reproduction number – or R number – remains between 0.6 and 0.9 from last week, meaning for every 10 people infected, they will pass COVID on to between six and nine others.
Vaccinating people in order of age is the fastest way to cut COVID-19 deaths in the next phase of the roll-out, say experts advising the UK government.
People in their 40s will be next, once the current phase is completed, not key workers. Here’s when you could get your coronavirus vaccine.
Some of the first people to check into quarantine hotels have had their first taste of freedom upon their release today after self-isolating for 11 nights.
From last Monday, UK and Irish nationals returning to England from a “red list” country deemed at high risk for COVID-19 have had to check into quarantine hotels.
The 15 areas of England to have vaccinated the lowest proportion of adults against COVID-19 are all in London.
In some boroughs, including Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham, just one in five adults have received a single dose of a vaccine, according to NHS England data up to 25 February.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, February 26
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
53,205 cases (up 151)
37,581 in Lincolnshire (up 113)
7,989 in North Lincolnshire (up 20)
7,635 in North East Lincolnshire (up 18)
2,065 deaths (up six)
1,517 from Lincolnshire (up four)
299 from North Lincolnshire (down one)
249 from North East Lincolnshire (up two)
of which 1,216 hospital deaths (up three)
754 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up two)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
420 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
4,163,085 UK cases, 122,415 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.
After roadside littering reared its ugly head in Lincolnshire again, councils across the county appear to be passing the buck, without taking any action.
The issue was raised by The Lincolnite reader Rebecca Dunn, who went to clean up with her friends part of the roadside on the Western Bypass in Lincoln, because she said it was “starting to look like a landfill site.”
Some of the litter that was found at the roadside dated back 17 years to 2004, suggesting that the area hadn’t been cleaned in years.
A can dating back to 2004 was found at the side of the road. | Photo: Rebecca Dunn
Rebecca had told The Lincolnite that she was consistently asking West Lindsey District Council about roadside cleaning for over two years, but nothing was done about it.
She was eventually given a response, which claimed that funds are no longer available for litter picking on roads over a 50mph speed limit — the bypass has a 60/70mph limit depending if it’s dual or single carriageway.
An alarming amount of bags filled by roadside litter on just one stretch of Lincoln’s roads. | Photo: Rebecca Dunn
When asked about this, a spokesperson for WLDC said: “Working on high speed roads is a real challenge for us, wherever possible we will work with partners to allow our staff to work safely.
“For instance, we litterpick dual-carriageways at the same time as lane closures are in place for grass cutting operations.”
Rebecca and some of her friends went to clean up the roadside. | Photo: Rebecca Dunn
The council added: “We are aware of reports of litter on this section of the highway and have been working in collaboration with the Highways Authority to get the trees cut back.
“Now that work is complete it will allow us access to the laybys to undertake litterpicking work.”
West Lindsey District Council also said that there is no specific part of the street cleansing budget, of which we weren’t given the total figure, dedicated to the stretch of road in question.
However, the council said that anyone with specific issues regarding street cleansing should call 01427 676676.
“Starting to look like a landfill site.” | Photo: Rebecca Dunn
The Lincolnite also approached Lincolnshire County Council for a response about this, who declined to comment and called it a “district matter”.
Part of the A46 ring road around Lincoln is the responsibility of Highways England, while others are under County Council management.
In response to our original story, many people pointed out that a similar issue is arising on roadsides in North Kesteven.
North Kesteven District Council were also asked to comment on the problem, but did not reply.
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