Visitor numbers will be restricted at one Norfolk hospital following concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

From today, March 17, James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston will be restricting visitor numbers to one per patient.

The hospital is also reducing ward visitor times to between 2-3pm and 7-8pm, in an effort to “protect patients and staff in view of COVID-19”.

Those who do visit family or friends will be permitted to stay for a maximum of 30 minutes, and children will be banned from adult inpatient areas altogether.

Already this morning, members of the public have been turned away when trying to visit family in line with the new restrictions.

The new developments come as the county’s director of health stressed that coronavirus statistics in Norfolk are likely to be higher than official figures.So far, there have been three official cases confirmed in King’s Lynn and one in Norwich.

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