THE requirements to wear a face covering and social distance at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford will remain in place after Monday, say health bosses.

They also announced that restrictions on visiting will stay in place after the so-called 'Freedom Day' to help control the spread of Covid-19.

The announcement from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the hospitals, follows the issuing of national guidance from Public Health England.

Hayley Flavell, director of nursing at SaTH said: “Although much will change after July 19, at SaTH – and across the healthcare system – we are still on the frontline of the continuing battle to deal with coronavirus, at a time when cases and hospital admissions are rising again.

“We also continuing to care for some of the most vulnerable members of the community and therefore ask for the support of everyone in helping to protect them by continuing to stick to the restrictions in place.

“We know that visiting is an issue of great importance for patients and their friends and family so we are continuing to actively explore how the restrictions here may be eased in the near future and we will update again as soon as is possible.”

Although Covid-19 restrictions will end in many settings from Monday, staff, patients, and visitors at all healthcare settings will need to continue to follow existing restrictions.

This means that visitors, patients, and staff must continue to wear hospital-supplied face masks in all indoor areas, hands must be sanitised and washed regularly, and a two-metre distance must be maintained.

Current visiting restrictions will also remain in place, with, as before, allowances being made for compassionate visiting, certain wards (including Children’s and Maternity), and for those with specific requirements, such as dementia and end of life care.