Local health bosses said Lincolnshire’s coronavirus numbers are “still very volatile” and do not expect the county to go down a tier in the government’s announcement on Wednesday.
Tony McGinty, the assistant director of public health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the numbers at a district level were changing rapidly.
He warned against having tiers at a district level for fear it might cause confusion.
“The big concern for me is the numbers are still very volatile, with districts going up and down quite sharply,” he said.
“If we ended up with variation between the districts we might find them changing around quite a lot over time […] and I don’t think that’s helpful to the public’s understanding of what the rules are and what they need to be doing.”
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate from Dec 7 to Dec 14. | Data: GOV UK / Table: The Lincolnite
Lincolnshire was placed into the toughest tier 3 restrictions, as England came out of the second lockdown on December 2.
Government bosses vowed to review the changes every two weeks — though it’s understood this may change to weekly in an upcoming announcement.
An announcement on Wednesday will reveal Lincolnshire’s future.
At the time, the government based its decision on five key factors. Below is the current situation in each one according to health bosses:
Case detection rates in all age groups – Lincolnshire’s current seven day infection rate up to December 12 is 243.2 per 100,000. The England rate is 181 per 100,000.
Case detection rates in the over 60s – Currently the rate for the over 60s in the county is 191.5 up to December 12, compared to 181 nationally.
The rate at which cases are rising or falling – Mr McGinty said this was “patchy” across districts. Government reports were focussed on the previously high Boston and East Lindsey having decreasing trends along with South Kesteven and West Lindsey. However, North Kesteven and South Holland were showing an increase overall, but a decrease in those over 60.
Positivity rate (positive cases as a percentage of tests taken) – Positivity rate for Lincolnshire is 9.7% with 21,441 tests carried out in the seven days to December 12 and 1,852 positive cases confirmed. Mr McGinty said this number had held steady for a period of time now.
Pressure on the NHS – “The hospital trust has got some significant pressures at the moment,” said Mr McGinty, noting “serious” problems with maintaining staffing. He said it was “not in such a good position at the moment.”
Mr McGinty said if government made a decision at a county level it would be “unlikely” to go down a tier since numbers were significantly higher than the UK average.
“Whilst we saw some initial decline in those numbers that that decline has certainly slowed down, and in some of our districts we haven’t really had much of a decline at all,” he said.
“Hospitals remain under quite a lot of pressure from a combination of the staffing acts of COVID and the numbers of patients who are in hospital with COVID so, overall, it doesn’t feel to me like we’re looking at a situation where Lincolnshire is likely to change tier at this point.”
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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.
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