Omicron: Hull hospitals restrict visits over new variant fears

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said the changes would come into force from 1 December

Visiting restrictions have been reintroduced at Hull's hospitals due to concerns over the Omicron variant.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said from Wednesday visits would be limited to "exceptional cases only" and must be approved in advance.

Visitors who are given permission to attend must take a lateral flow test.

The trust said it had taken the decision "to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to address the risk of this specific variant".

Hospital bosses said birthing partners would still be allowed to attend when a woman was in labour, to visit antenatal and postnatal wards and to attend antenatal appointments such as scans.

One parent would also still be able to visit children in paediatric wards and both parents would be allowed access to the neonatal intensive care unit.

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Chief Nurse Beverley Geary said: "Our duty must be to the patients in our care and we must do everything we can to protect them from the threat of Covid-19.

"We know the vast majority of the public understand that our patients are already vulnerable and catching the virus could have very serious - and indeed deadly - consequences for them.

"We are not introducing this step lightly. We know it distresses relatives and the patients themselves when they can't have visitors.

"But we must do everything we can to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to address the risk of this specific variant until the world understands more about the danger it poses."