Hospitals bring back masks weeks after rules relaxed

Hospitals are bringing back requirements for masks on wards just weeks after rules were relaxed as Covid rates spike, The Independent can reveal. Experts have warned of a surge in cases, believed to be the fifth wave, with one in 40 people in the UK testing positive for the virus.

- REBECCA THOMAS

Meanwhile, the latest NHS data shows more than 8,000 Covidpositive patients on wards following a warning of a "deleterious" impact on hospital waiting times. In response, three major hospital trusts have told staff they must wear masks, with warnings more must follow if the NHS is to handle another wave of Covid.

In June NHS England, following guidance from the UK Health Security Agency, advised hospitals and GP practices that masks were no longer a necessary requirement, while hospitals in Wales dropped the rules in May. The spike in cases on wards has prompted at least seven hospitals across England to U-turn on masks onsite for staff as of yesterday.

Cases in hospitals across England increased by more than one-third and community infections soared to 1.7 million last week. The latest NHS data showed the number of patients with Covid in hospitals across England jumped from 1,011 on Saturday to 1,276 the next day, while the number of hospital beds taken up by positive patients hit 8,120.