Coronavirus in Lincolnshire: Latest updates

Summary

Latest updates on Wednesday 1 April 2020

Live Reporting

Cash begins to arrive for businesses in Lincolnpublished at 18:11 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
City of Lincoln Council has confirmed almost 500 businesses in Lincoln have been given a share of £5m to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials say the payments should arrive in the next three days and that it's now looking at a further 300 applications for the government cash.
Image source, Getty Images
Quote Message
A huge effort has been made by our team and we are proud to be supporting so many businesses at this difficult time. Businesses are the lifeblood of the city, employing thousands of people, and we want to ensure their future is safe.
Ric Metcalfe, City of Lincoln Council Leader
101 call charges abolishedpublished at 17:19 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
The 15p cost of making a 101 call has been abolished.
The Home Office has announced that it will scrap the charge and spend £7m a year to fund the phone service in the UK.
It's thought the move will save the residents of Lincolnshire £37,500 a year.
Quote Message
This is really positive news. Reporting crime, passing on vital information or highlighting abuse shouldn’t hit the caller in their pocket no matter how small the charge...This move is good for victims and good for the people of Lincolnshire
Marc Jones, Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Warning over scammers trying to sell fake 'miracle cures'published at 17:09 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
Trading Standards in Lincolnshire is warning you not to fall for fake miracle cures for the coronavirus being sold online.
The watchdog says they've also received reports about fake specialist cleaning companies as well as a number of phone and email scams trying to get your personal information.
Image source, Getty Images
Emma Milligan from Trading Standards says some are very sophisticated:
Quote Message
I think we're all vulnerable to these scams because some of them look very legitimate. I received an email about a fake tax rebate and it looked so real. We all need to take extra care.
Emma Milligan, Lincolnshire Trading Standards
Body found in hunt for missing womanpublished at 15:59 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
Police searching for a missing 59-year-old woman have recovered a body from the River Ouse.
Shirley Cranston, from Burgh-le-Marsh was last seen on March 12 when she left her car in a car park in Skegness.
Lincolnshire Police said the body of a woman had been recovered from the river at Clenchwarton, near King's Lynn.
A force spokesperson said: "Although the woman has not formally been identified, we believe this to be Shirley Cranston."
Drug dealers 'easier to catch' amid virus restrictionspublished at 15:21 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
Police in Boston say that having less people on the street has actually made it easier to spot criminals.
They've been sharing pictures of empty pavements on the their social media pages.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post
People urged to return support kit to help fight viruspublished at 14:44 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
People are being urged to return any unused specialist equipment they may have been given to help them live independently at home.
Image source, Getty Images
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust says the items that are needed the most are beds, mattresses, stools and equipment to assist toileting and mobility.
Quote Message
In order to support our hospitals during the Covid-19 outbreak, it is vital we have enough community equipment. All equipment, apart from beds and mattresses, can be left outside your front door on the day of collection.
Louise Molina, Lincolnshire Community Equipment Service
Telephone befriending service launched in Lincolnpublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
City of Lincoln Council has launched a telephone befriending service to help those in isolation feel more socially connected.
Image source, GETTY IMAGES
The service aims to provide friendly conversation to vulnerable people that may be experiencing reduced social interactions during self-isolation.
Quote Message
Following the outbreak, staff in many departments across the council have stepped out of their regular roles to quickly create this brand new service which will offer vital support and reassurance to many who are feeling the social effects of self-isolation.
Rosanne Kirk, City of Lincoln Council
If you would like to refer yourself to the befriending service, you can contact the signposting team on 01522 873461/873374.
Former RAF base 'may be coronavirus mortuary'published at 13:39 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
A former RAF base has been earmarked as a site for a possible coronavirus mortuary.
Read More
Plea for PPE from Lincolnshire hospicepublished at 13:14 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
A Lincolnshire hospice charity say they're in urgent need for extra personal protective equipment (PPE) to help keep their staff safe.
St Barnabas Hospice operates a number of facilities in the county, as well as multiple charity shops - however they've had to close the shops for now.
Image source, Google
They say they need:
- Disposable gloves
- Disposable aprons
- Water repellent face masks
- Visors
Fears over coastal economy as tourism disappearspublished at 12:35 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
Many businesses on the Lincolnshire coast which rely on tourists say it's going to be a struggle to survive following the measures brought in to combat the coronvirus.
Shops and attractions are closed because of the Covid-19 restrictions. Tourism is worth around £1.5bn to the county's economy.
Image source, Google
East Lindsey district councillor Helen Matthews owns Poplar Farm cottages and campsite in Sandilands - she says many businesses may not make it through.
Quote Message
We're a seasonal economy here on the coast so we have a short span of time to make our money. It'll probably take a couple of years to recover from this.
Helen Matthews, Business owner
'Coronavirus putting people off seeking medical help'published at 12:02 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
A health watchdog says it fears some people are not seeking medical advice during the coronavirus pandemic as they do not want to bother professionals or risk going to a hospital.
Healthwatch Lincolnshire say some people may wrongly be putting off seeking help and has encouraged people to get help where necessary.
Chief Executive Sarah Fletcher says the NHS is still available for people who need it and not just those with Covid-19.
She said: "We're worried that a number of people will look at the messages and think 'I shouldn't be going there because of the coronavirus' when actually they probably do need to."
Cyclist died in hospital after crash with vanpublished at 11:02 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
A cyclist has died in hospital after being injured in a crash in Saleby.
Image source, Google
The 50-year-old man was cycling along the A1104 when he collided with a van at about 11:00 on 23 March.
He was airlifted to hospital but Lincolnshire Police announced this morning he has since died.
Officers investigating the incident are asking for any witnesses to come forward.
Lincolnshire's Wednesday weather forecastpublished at 10:35 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
It'll be largely cloudy today though there will be some bright spells.
Most places will stay dry, but there will be just a chance of the odd shower here and there.
Tonight it'll stay mostly cloudy, but it should remain largely dry.
County records biggest daily rise in coronavirus casespublished at 09:14 British Summer Time 1 April 2020
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Lincolnshire has seen its largest daily rise since the start of the pandemic.
Image source, PA Media
The number of patients diagnosed with the virus has jumped from 78 on Monday to 104 on Tuesday, an increase of 26 in 24 hours.
Professor Derek Ward, director of Public Health for Lincolnshire, however, has warned that he expects numbers to continue to rise in line with national figures.
Nationally, as of 09:00 on Tuesday, a total of 143,186 people have been tested, of which 25,150 tested positive.
A total of 1,789 patients had died overall in UK hospitals as of 17:00 on Monday,