Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital bring back face masks and visiting restrictions following rise in Covid cases

Bosses at Northamptonshire’s two main hospitals have told anybody entering the hospital to wear facemasks and there will be restricted visiting hours following a rise in Covid cases.

New measures from Thursday (October 6) follow data from NHS England which confirmed the number of patients being treated for Covid more than QUADRUPLED at Northamptonshire General Hospital in a week from 13 to 64 by 8am Wednesday (October 5).

Medics are also pleading with people to stay away from the hospital if they have ANY symptoms of an illness.

A spokesman said: “To help us to keep everyone safe, please do not visit our hospital if you or anyone in your household has Covid, coughs or any Covid, flu or cold-like symptoms, or vomiting or diarrhoea.

“We would also ask anyone who has tested positive for Covid not to visit hospital unless they need urgent medical care and contact NHS 111 by phone or online instead.

“We will be making it mandatory for all visitors to adult inpatient wards and clinical areas to wear facemasks unless they are medically exempt.

“As well as this we will be restricting visiting to one visitor for one hour per day.

“This decision has been made as we have seen an increase in Covid cases at both hospitals in the last week and we are also seeing an increase in cases locally and regionally.”

"We know that it’s hard to not see loved ones, however video calls are still available at both sites.

"We are working really hard to be able to allow visiting to continue and would ask for the local community to support us once again in doing what they can to protect patients and colleagues.”

NGH revealed on Sunday that two of its wards — Abington and Rowan — were closed after what bosses said was “an increase in the number of people with Covid in our hospital”. By Thursday, Rowan and Knightly wards were closed.

Rules on mask-wearing were relaxed at the hospital less than a month ago.

But recent NHS England data confirmed a rise in the number of patients being treated for Covid had risen from 13 last week to 64 by 8am Wednesday (October 5).

A month ago, the number was seven.

KGH had another 57 Covid patients, up from 44 seven days previously.

Since free testing was withdrawn earlier this year, analysts use hospital figures to judge the virus’ spread.

A report in the Guardian this week revealed more hospital trusts across the Midlands NHS region are taking measures to cope with demand.

It said Nottingham University Hospitals Trust declared a critical incident, postponing some operations due to extreme pressures, while in neighbouring Lincolnshire, routine operations at the Diana, Princess of Wales hospital in Grimsby were cancelled.

One of Britain’s most senior emergency doctors said there were links between such incidents and the rise in hospitalisations for Covid.

Dr Adrian Boyle incoming president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “Covid just makes everything that much harder and it’s entirely valid to link this with critical incidents being called around the country.

"All hospitals are feeling significant levels of pressure at the moment. Covid is a very heavy straw on the camel’s back.”