Basingstoke hospital has been declared a Covid-free site.

The borough council’s deputy leader gave the news at a meeting last week, adding the town’s hospital had treated a total of 388 Covid-positive patients.

It comes as bars and restaurants across the town prepare to reopen for the first time since March.

Throughout the outbreak, Basingstoke and North Hampshire hospital had treated a total of 388 Covid-positive patients, the councillor continued, with 43 of those being admitted to the intensive care unit.

Across Basingstoke and Winchester hospitals, the total number of patients who have died from the virus is 160.

Cllr Bound told the meeting: “With all of this in mind we should not forget Covid is still with us and it is therefore important that we all continue to follow the national guidance whether it be “track and trace”, social distancing, regularly washing our hands and staying alert to the risk of shared surfaces,” Cllr Bound said.

“As a council we continue to issue regular updates on how this impacts local services and facilities.”

Also in this week's paper:

  • A decision on plans to redevelop Chineham District Centre has been delayed by councillors. Members of the Democratic Control committee were not satisfied by the proposal’s energy efficiency, as well as parking provision and public transport access to the site. Read more on page 2.
  • There was a rather unusual sight at Basingstoke hospital last week, when a dinosaur was spotted stomping around the grounds. On the hottest day of the year so far, patient Sue Kelly decided to don the outfit to entertain staff while going through radiotherapy for breast cancer, and using the costume as a form of PPE. Read more on page 3.
  • Basingstoke council will start looking at the process of restoring weekly waste collections in mid-July, the cabinet member responsible has confirmed. Councillor Hayley Eachus (Conservative, Kempshott) confirmed at a meeting on Thursday night that the decision to reduce collections to fortnightly was “temporary” and as a result of staffing shortages during the initial coronavirus outbreak. Read more on page 4.
  • Pubs are allowed to re-open this Saturday, having been closed for three months during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research suggests that more than a third of adults in the UK plan to visit a pub in their first week of trading, with The Centre for Economic and Business Research predicting around 6.5 million pub visits across Saturday and Sunday (this would be around 1.5 million more than a typical weekend in July). Read more on page 5.
  • The future of Basingstoke’s two most popular sports clubs remain uncertain, councillors have been told. Long term homes for both Basingstoke Town Football Club and Basingstoke Bison were no closer to being decided at last week’s Community, Environment and Partnerships committee, according to some members. Read more on page 6.
  • Two men were rushed to hospital this week after police feared they took medication intended for animals. GP Vets practice on Worting Road was raided overnight on Tuesday, June 30, with thieves stealing a large quantity of drugs. Police issued an urgent appeal to the public not to take the drugs and to report any information to the police. Read more on page 7.
  • Staff at the NHS trust which runs Basingstoke hospital are thinking of leaving their jobs due to uncertainty in their roles. As health workers continue to fight Covid-19, Hampshire Hospitals has revealed that morale among the staff is falling. Read more on page 8.
  • Basingstoke Chinese Association has said it is disappointed and insulted over the deputy mayor’s comments describing coronavirus as the “Wuhan flu”. The World Health Organisation has warned against using the term, popularised by U.S. President Donald Trump, as it stigmatises Chinese people and is believed to fuel racism. Conservative councillor Onnalee Cubitt, who represents Basing, referred to the pandemic as the “Communist China Party virus” and the “Wuhan flu” in a number of tweets, which prompted two complaints to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council over her conduct. Read more on page 13.
  • Plus, the latest cases from Basingstoke and Aldershot Magistrates' Courts.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Two pages of news from your communities.
  • Three pages of news from your districts.
  • Two pages of business news.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • And much more!

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