Issue - meetings

The Chief Operating Officer to present an update report for November on the council’s activities both directly in response to Covid-19 and to support recovery and renewal.

Resolved:  That the contents of the report, and the further information provided at the meeting, be noted.

The Chief Operating Officer presented a report which provided an update on the council’s activities in response to Covid-19, both directly and to support recovery and renewal.

The report outlined the national restrictions that had come into force on 5 November and were anticipated to remain in place until 2 December.  Updates in respect of economic, communities and corporate recovery were set out in paragraphs 12-21, 22-29 and 30-32 respectively.  The economic update included details of the latest government grants for businesses.  Information on how to apply for these would be available soon.

The Chair announced that York was to move to Tier 2 once the national lockdown was over.  He thanked everyone in the city for their part in reducing the number of Covid cases in York to the lowest in the region and below the national average, confirming that the council would be lobbying government to move York to Tier 1 when the situation was reviewed on 16 December.

The Director of Public Health provided a further update, explaining the rationale behind the government’s decision on tiers, which was based on 5 key indicators across each area. Only Cornwall, the Scilly Isles and the Isle of Wight were in Tier 1.  York was grouped with North Yorkshire, where in some places, such as Scarborough and Selby, case numbers were falling more slowly.  The case rate in York was currently 132 per 100,000 and the positivity rate was 7%-8%.  The aim was to reduce this to 4%-5%, by continuing handwashing and social distancing practices and expanding the effective local testing and tracing processes already in place.

Resolved:  That the contents of the report, and the further information provided at the meeting, be noted.