County Council Urges Residents to Get NHS COVID App

The Chief Exec of North Yorkshire County Council is encouraging everyone to get the new contact tracing app.

In his latest newsletter to residents of North Yorkshire, Richard Flinton is calling on communities to take positive action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Council say there has been an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 across North Yorkshire over the last few weeks.

To date, there have been 3,331 cases and we are currently seeing around 30 new cases per day. Cases continue to be more prevalent in the younger and working age populations, with spread linked to extended time spent together within households and social settings.

Mr Flinton writes...

So, here it is – the anticipated second wave of Coronavirus is with us and seeping into our communities at an unwelcome rate. We must all remain in the highest state of alert to prevent it shutting our county down, closing our schools and businesses and taking our freedoms once again.

In North Yorkshire, we are famous for our straight talking, no nonsense approach to life and our hearty welcome to visitors; for our world famous food and drink, outstanding hospitality offer and inspiring scenery.

With that in mind, I won’t hold back – now is not a moment for stepping around the issue. We must act right now – every one of us – this minute, and every minute to contain it and protect our most frail residents. Please speak to your friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues. Encourage them to adhere strictly to the hand washing, face covering and social distancing measures that we all know work. But they only work if we actually do them in a consistent way.  

One more ask of you too, please.  Today sees the launch of the new NHS Covid-19 App from the Department of Health and Social Care. The App is based on the Apple/Google privacy framework, and is designed to support contact tracing and make it easier to give meaningful details when checking into venues.  From today, designated venues in certain sectors are required by law to display an official NHS QR code poster on sites which, for us, include libraries.  The more people who download and use the App, the more effective it will be - thank you in advance for your help in uniting to as a team to stop the spread. 

It’s not all doom and gloom by any means, but don’t we all want to keep our way of life? Albeit it is changed for now. Parts of the county are faring better than others; the data changes all the time and our public health experts are examining that constantly and acting quickly with the venues and settings where outbreaks occur, to contain them. We are seeing transfer within households from younger people to their parents – some of those parents are inevitably taking the virus unknowingly into their workplaces – some of those workplaces are our care homes. Sadly, a small, but growing, number of care homes now have residents who are testing positive for Covid-19. We are all very aware of the cruel nature of Covid and how it targets vulnerable people without pity. Let’s pull together and protect them, protect our freedom, protect our businesses and protect our future together.

The new NHS app uses software developed by Apple and Google, designed so that nobody will know who or where you are. And you can delete your data, or the app, at any time.

The App has a number of features including:

• Trace: find out when you've been near other app users who have tested positive for coronavirus.
• Alert: lets you know the level of coronavirus risk in your postcode district.
• Check-in: get alerted if you've visited a venue where you may have come into contact with coronavirus, using a simple QR code scanner. No more form filling.
• Symptoms: check if you have coronavirus symptoms and see if you need to order a test.
• Test: helps you order a test if you need to.
• Isolate: keep track of your self-isolation countdown and access relevant advice.

More information about the app and links to find it on the App Stores can be found on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/nhs-covid-19/