Hospitals in Northumberland and North Tyneside have announced they are lifting many visiting restrictions and expanding the number of bookable slots - but NHS bosses have warned " Covid has not gone away".
From today (Monday), the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has confirmed there will be hourly visiting slots for patients on general adult wards between 10am and 7pm each day, and that each patient will now be allowed to have two nominated visitors.
However, visiting will remain restricted on surgical wards as part of "enhanced infection prevention measures". Visitors will no longer need to present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test, but anyone with any symptoms of the virus or a close household contact who has it is told not to come to the hospitals.
