VISITORS have been asked to stay away from Basildon Hospital with medical chiefs reporting an "extremely busy day."

Hospital bosses have urged visitors not to attend and to use the 11 service and pharmacy services as Covid admissions continue to rise.

The mid and south Essex NHS trust say the number of Covid-19 patients in the hospital is "small but increasing."

Those who need hospital care but is non-emergency have been urged to "find alternative options."

This comes as Essex County Council has asked the Government to move the county into a higher tier of coronavirus restrictions.

Gavin Callaghan, the leader of Basildon Council, has backed the move from county chiefs.

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A spokesman for the trust said: "Basildon Hospital is extremely busy today with a high number of patients who need our care, including a small but increasing number of patients suffering from COVID.

"We are working hard to see people as quickly as possible in our emergency department, and to make sure there are beds for those who need them in the hospital.

"While we work to improve the situation we would ask anyone who doesn’t need emergency care to call 111 and look for alternative options."

"With such a busy hospital environment, we are also asking visitors to stay away so we can ensure social distancing in all of our wards and departments to keep our patients and staff safe."