Some Covid cases among hospital staff

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said she could not give specifics due to patient confidentiality.

‘But yes, there have been cases that affect the hospital, which has meant we have done some broad testing across the hospital,’ she said.

‘It has meant that some of our staff are off in self-isolation.

‘So we’ve been looking at all of this to ensure that business continuity can occur in hospital.’

Extra checks have been put on at the hospital, with a streaming hut erected outside the emergency department for anyone attending.

That allows staff to check their temperature and ask them whether they have had any Covid symptoms.

There have been moves to ensure that people who do not need to attend the hospital do not go there.

This has included stopping pregnant women from having a partner with them at scans and C-sections. The latter has been put down to the higher risk of infection during theatre.

‘It’s all about preventing contact and mitigating risk,’ Dr Brink said.

‘It’s all about reducing traffic, having fewer people coming interacting with each other and that is pivotal as we move forward to control this outbreak.’

However, the public have been previously urged not to delay seeking medical treatment if they needed care.

The Emergency Department is still open to take cases.

Health & Social Care president Al Brouard said it was vitally important to keep people in a hospital setting safe.

‘If we do have an issue in the hospital, it can be quite severe for our ability to support islanders,’ he said.

‘So we are very sorry we’ve had to take this position.’

Deputy Chief Minister Heidi Soulsby said staff at the hospital were looking at whether video was one option to help pregnant women.