York prepares for 'Covid bounce' in visitor numbers over summer
City leaders are warning the number of people coming here could be a shock to residents.
The number of visitors coming to York this summer could be a shock to residents.
That's the warning from city leaders - as we could see a 'Covid bounce' here as lockdown restriction are eased.
City of York Council is putting some measures in place in preparation - including more outdoor seating areas and and putting in extra toilets and bins.
Neil Ferris, director of place at City of York Council, said: “The challenge will be managing the amount of people who want to come to the city.
“It’s going to be a shock to get back to normal levels of people. If we do have a Covid bounce, that will feel like even more of a change for residents.”
He added: “There’s going to be a significant increase in people as we progress through the phased return.
"That is based on a background where we’ve got a city that’s able to cope with seven million visitors a year and it’s been principally enjoyed for the last nine months by 200,000 residents.”
Plans will see more outdoor seating and leisure areas - likely to be in Museum Gardens, Dean’s Park, Tower Gardens and the riverside.
Parliament Street, Shambles Market and College Green will be promoted as outdoor destinations.
And “trader-led” streets and squares will be introduced where businesses are asked to manage outdoor venues in St Helen’s Square, King’s Square, Micklegate, Fossgate, St Sampson’s Square and Castlegate.
Fiona Philips from York’s public health team said the city will be in a “better position” than the reopening in 2020, when visitors arrived from higher tiers.
She said scrapping the tier system would create an even playing field, but added: “I think it will be challenging. What we found before is that residents do get a bit nervous when they see a lot of people in York city centre, so we need to manage that and be mindful of people’s nervousness.
“Particularly if we’ve got a lot of people who haven’t ventured out much recently and suddenly finding yourself in a situation where you’re surrounded by a lot of people can feel a bit unusual.
“We’ve got into the habit of not being in crowds and so people may find that difficult. We will do anything that we can to reassure people around the safety measures.”
The city’s Covid marshals are set to see their contracts extended until June 21, when all restrictions are expected to lift, in order to work with police to manage behaviour.
The council has already set aside £200,000 towards managing outdoor spaces and temporarily installing extra bins and toilets. Pavement cafe licences have also been extended to September 2022.