A hospital in Norfolk has stopped visiting in response to the coronavirus to ensure people’s safety.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn (QEH) issued a message on Thursday, March 26 that said as the hospital responds to covid-19, “strengthened restrictions to visiting are necessary to ensure everyone’s safety”.

The new restrictions mean visiting is no longer allowed on the hospital’s wards until further notice.

The QEH added that inpatients with coronavirus and patients waiting for their coronavirus test results are not allowed to receive visitors.

MORE: Hospital scraps parking charges during coronavirus pandemic.The hospital has allowed a few exceptions to the new measures. These include one parent accompanying children, one birthing partner permitted to attend the hospital’s maternity department and one carer into the emergency department with a patient.

The hospital has said exceptions can be discussed with their ward managers if a relative is receiving end of life care.

It comes after a patient at the QEH was discharged after recovering from the coronavirus.

The patient was one of 18 confirmed cases at the west Norfolk hospital, where two men with underlying health conditions have died after testing positive for covid-19 and five patients remain in intensive care.

Subscribe to our daily coronavirus newsletter, with all the latest from where you live.