NHS Lanarkshire have announced they are suspending all but essential visiting at hospitals in the area.
It comes after a covid outbreak at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride sparked a staffing crisis, forcing the health board to deploy staff from other areas to ensure effective patient care can be delivered at the hospital.
The health board say they have made the "difficult" decision to reintroduce essential visiting to help protect patients and staff within hospitals in the Lanarkshire area.
They confirmed that the decision will be reviewed "very regularly", with visiting expanded to prioritise access for those closest to patients "as soon as it is safe to do so", Lanarkshire Live reports.
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NHS Lanarkshire nurse director Susan Friel said: “We understand patients in hospital are having a challenging time and want to have their family and friends around them for support.
“It is our priority to protect our patients and staff as much as is possible and this is why we have made the difficult decision to reintroduce essential visiting at this time.
"However, we will be reviewing this very regularly and as soon as it is safe to do so, we will be expanding visiting by prioritising access for those closest to the patient. We recognise that essential visits, which only permit visits to patients where not seeing a family member would cause particular distress or suffering, is not ideal but necessary for the time being.
“Anyone with questions about visiting arrangements should speak to the nurse in charge of the ward.
“We would also strongly encourage all essential visitors to carry out a lateral flow test prior to visiting their loved one. Information on how to obtain a test and how to take it, is available by visiting NHS Inform.
“We hope everyone will understand that this decision has been made in the best interests of patients, other visitors and our staff.”
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