Mount Vernon Hospital is asking visitors to stay away due to a “growing number of positive patients in hospital”.

The hospital situated in Northwood, that serves people in Watford, Harrow and areas surrounding Hillingdon, has implemented the ban in visitors again except for exceptional circumstances.

According to the Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, there have been a “growing number” of patients with Covid in their hospitals, and there is a general concern with the high rate of cases in the catchment area.

As a result, stricter visiting restrictions seen during earlier stages in the pandemic have been brought back.

Visitors are being asked to stay away from both Mount Vernon and Hillingdon Hospital, and they will only be considered in exceptional circumstances which include:

• A patient at the end of their life

• One regular carer for a patient with additional needs, such as a patient with dementia

• One parent or guardian for a child

• One birth partner.

Many hospitals in the UK have maintained a form of visiting restrictions since the wake of the pandemic, although most rules in many hospitals are much more relaxed than they were earlier on.

For example, visiting at the neighbouring Watford General Hospital is open to one person per patient for one hour a day, and must be booked in advance. Certain wards are also not open to visitors to protect vulnerable patients.

Visitors who are granted permission to attend Mount Vernon must wear a new mask as soon as they enter a ward or unit, sanitise their hands and follow other precautions instructed on site.