Visiting at Felixstowe and Ipswich hospitals will be suspended as from Wednesday morning.

A surge in Covid cases has led to hospitals getting close to capacity, and a higher level of staff sickness and it is hoped the drop in football in the building will prevent further spread.

Giles Thorpe, chief nurse at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Felixstowe Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, said:"Our number one priority is to keep everyone – patients, visitors and staff – safe, and one of the ways we can do this is to reduce the number of people in our hospitals.

"This is not a decision we have made easily. We know how much it means to our patients to have visitors and how important visiting is to families and friends of a loved one in hospital, too. However, we have made this decision to keep all our patients and staff safe.

"Considering the rising number of COVID-19 infections across Suffolk and that there are now more people in hospital with the virus, we need to take this action now."

However, there are some exceptions and visiting will still be supported for:

End-of-life care

Parents of children

There will be no changes in these areas.

At ESNEFT, the changes will apply at Ipswich Hospital, Felixstowe Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital and Bluebird Lodge in Ipswich.

Relatives of patients in east Suffolk can keep in touch with them via the Trust's Letters to Loved Ones service.