THE trust which runs Basingstoke hospital has said its restrictions in place to keep people safe from Covid will remain as restrictions in England begin to ease.

The government announced a gradual easing of Covid restrictions, including no longer asking people to work from home and masks no longer compulsory in secondary schools.

From this Thursday, Covid passes will no longer be compulsory to gain entry to venues and events; face masks will not be compulsory in public spaces – although they will be “recommended” in some places; and restrictions on visits to care homes will be eased.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he also hopes to scrap mandatory self-isolation for people who test positive for Covid.

The current regulations expire on March 24, but Mr Johnson hopes to bring this date forward.

Read more: Face coverings banned from Basingstoke hospital

A spokesperson for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), which runs Basingstoke, Andover, and Winchester hospitals, said the relaxations around rules will not result in any changes at its hospitals, including visiting guidelines and the wearing of facemasks.

They added: “Our current visiting guidelines remain in place to keep our staff, patients and visitors safe and we are continuing to permit one visitor per bay, per hour following Covid checks completed by the ward teams.

"Separate guidelines are in place when visiting our children and maternity department, with one support partner / parent permitted to visit per patient and all patients and support partners required to be tested for Covid-19 on each admission.

"There are also a number of ways in which loved ones can keep in touch with our patients should visiting not be possible, including virtual visiting and our patient messaging service.

“These guidelines are kept under regular review in order to help us keep everyone safe and we are continuing to ask members of the public to please only visit at booked times, wear a mask when attending our hospitals and do not visit if you feel unwell.”

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