Lincolnshire is having a “bleak midwinter” as the coronavirus death toll soared, local health bosses said.
Over the past seven days, 94 of Lincolnshire’s 651 deaths – nearly 15% – have mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate.
At the end of November the county’s average weekly deaths had risen by nearly 60% on the previous year — from 175 to 275.
The figures are part of a Christmas Carol style warning, with Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health professor Derek Ward playing all three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future: “behave over the festive period or face the consequences”.
Professor Ward said: “I’m sorry, I am the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and it is not a fun role, but it is my job to look after the people of Lincolnshire.
“Our numbers are coming down and are flat now, and that’s good news — but they’ve not come down far enough, and if one person decides not to form a bubble, and we avoid one case transmission then it’s worth it.”
“We are already in a bleak midwinter — you just have to look at the national data that shows that whilst Lincolnshire has come down and flattened, the rest of the country is on its way back up again.
“I would predict in the next week or more maybe, the England average will go up above Lincolnshire, but that’s not because we’ve come down, it’s because they’ve come up.”
Data from the government’s epidemiology report for Lincoln issued on December 17.
On Thursday, the government chose to leave Lincolnshire in tier 3 lockdown, meaning it faces the toughest restrictions before and after the Christmas break, until December 31 at least, when tiers will be reviewed next by the government.
Professor Ward said the news was expected, with Lincolnshire’s infection rate hovering around the 240-250 per 100,000 people — well above the England average — for the past few days.
The national average is also rising again, mainly due to spikes in figures to the south of the country, and on Friday morning the England average was 207 against Lincolnshire at 263.
Lincoln & Boston top East Midlands infections
An epidemiology report released Thursday by the government said that in the seven days up to December 9, Lincoln and Boston had the highest infection rate in the East Midlands at 488.4 and 393.3 respectively.
In fact, all but one of the district councils was in the top 15 of all 40 local authorities across the region.
Data from the government’s epidemiology report for Boston issued on December 17.
From December 23, national lockdown rules will be relaxed to allow for up to three household bubbles to mix for a maximum of five days (December 27).
Professor Ward warned, however, that “just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should”.
“We are in a treacherous time of year for COVID. There’s some real risks here if people don’t keep socially distanced and don’t do everything they can to minimise the risk of transmission.
“If we aren’t extremely cautious, despite what we’re allowed to do, we will see a really significant increase in cases at the beginning of January.
“That will lead to a very significant strain on the NHS by the middle of January.
“That will lead to very significant number of deaths by the end of January.
“That would be my prediction if we are not very, very careful with Christmas.”
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.