PATIENTS and visitors no longer need to require face masks at Basildon and Southend hospitals.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals and Broomfield Hospital, removed its mask mandate yesterday (April 4).

Bosses at the trust had brought masks back in to the hospitals in October following a small surge in cases of Covid-19.

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The latest Covid figures show that the number of patients with Covid is relatively low.

The trust was caring for 107 patients with coronavirus in hospital as of March 29.

NHS England data shows the number of people being treated in hospital with Covid-19 by 8am on March 29 was up from 105 on the same day the previous week.

The number of beds at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 increased by 3 per cent in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 104.

Across England there were 7,963 people in hospital with Covid as of March 29, with 192 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

Nationally, the number of hospital patients with Covid-19 has increased by 6% in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has increased by 10%.

The figures also show that 60 new patients with Covid were admitted to hospital in Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in the week to March 27. This was down from 72 in the previous seven days.

An MSE spokesman said: “Please don't visit our hospitals if you are showing any symptoms of Covid-19. You can find out what to do if you are symptomatic on the NHS website.”