St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals to make sure patients are safe by insisting all visitors wear masks

All visitors to two hospitals will be asked to wear a face covering at all times from Monday June 15.

The trust which runs St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals and their community services will insist on it to help limit the spread of Covid-19, and protect others from the virus.

For the face covering to be effective, please be aware that:

• It should cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breath comfortably
• You should wash your hands or use hand sanitiser before putting it on and taking it off
• When wearing the face covering, you should avoid touching your face at all times
• You should also follow other infection control safety measures when visiting St George’s, including social distancing and regular hand washing.

For safety reasons, the following groups do not need to wear a face covering when visiting St George’s:

• Young children under the age of 2
• Anyone with breathing or developmental difficulties
• Anyone who experiences genuine discomfort or distress while wearing a face mask
• Anyone unable to remove their mask without assistance.

St George’s chief nursing officer and director of infection control Robert Bleasdale said: “We would like to thank patients and visitors in advance for wearing a face covering or mask when using our services. This is an additional measure we are putting in place from 15 June to help everyone stay safe. The most important thing people can do is to observe social distancing, and wash their hands regularly – however, the wearing of a face covering or mask will reduce the risk of infection even further. All of our staff will be wearing face masks from 15 June, but this won’t make any difference to the care you receive when using our services. We are still here for you 24/7, 365 days a year.”

You can find advice on how to wear and make your own face covering at home here.