Tuesday 5 July 2022 12:06 AM Face masks return in England's hospitals as patients with Covid hits highest ... trends now
Hospitals are set to bring back the wearing of face coverings and reinstate social distancing measures in a bid to curb a recent surge in Covid cases.
Trusts from Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Wales have all reinstated guidance that urges people to mask-up because of a spike in infections.
Figures from NHS England show there were around 10,658 patients hospitalised with the virus on Monday.
Infections have doubled in a fortnight across England — with around 1,000 patients now being admitted with the virus each day.
There are fears that a new sweep of the latest Covid variant could decimate NHS staff levels once more, causing knock-on effects for ambulance wait times and the availability of specialists and operations.
Data from the Office for National Statistics showed 2.3million people had coronavirus in the week ending June 24, a 32 per cent rise from the previous week.
Experts believe the latest flare-up in cases are likely linked to the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron, which could push the total number of patients above April's peak of 16,600.
Those variations are thought to be more infectious but just as mild as the original Omicron strain.
The Government has said it is monitoring the situation 'very quickly' but does not yet plan to reintroduce restrictions.
Hospitals are set to bring back the wearing of face coverings and reinstate social distancing measures in a bid to curb a recent surge in Covid cases. Pictured: A nurse in King's College Hospital wears a mask in the critical care unit of the hospital in December 2021
There are fears that a new sweep of the latest Covid variant could decimate NHS staff levels once more, causing knock-on effects for ambulance wait times and the availability of specialists and operations
Infections have doubled in a fortnight across England — with around 1,000 patients now being admitted with the virus each day
Covid infections have shot up in England to just over 1.8million according to the latest Office of National Statistics data
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust claimed its update was to 'reduce further spread of Covid and keep patients and staff safe'.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, in Nottinghamshire, said it was 'vital we take decisive action to protect our most vulnerable patients'.
Similar reinstatement messages were put out by Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust and North West Anglia NHS Trust. The guidance is no longer legally enforceable.
When the national NHS masking rules were dropped on June 10, local health bodies were given the power to draft their own policies, with several trusts still demanding patients and visitors wore face coverings.
But cases have risen sharply over the past month, with statisticians estimating one in 30 people were carrying the virus in England last week.
NHS England wrote to all local health bodies on July 10 to set out new rules on mask wearing issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Covid guidance was continuing to impact on 'capacity and flow', bosses said at the time.
Patients admitted with Covid or suspected to have Covid should be provided with a face mask. Staff should still wear masks when dealing with Covid patients.
Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'We have taken the hard decision to require that surgical masks be worn by all
