Coronavirus: Police block entrance to hospital after oxygen supply problems
Watford General Hospital told patients to stay away and declared a critical incident after discovering a technical issue.
Sunday 5 April 2020 02:35, UK
Police blocked access to a hospital after it discovered a problem with its oxygen equipment - potentially affecting COVID-19 patients.
Watford General Hospital declared a critical incident on Saturday and told anyone except women in labour to stay away.
A "small number" of patients were transferred to other hospitals in the area.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said the technical issue did not pose "any risk" to its patients and was resolved by 10.30pm on Saturday.
Sky News correspondent Ali Fortescue said police were blocking "all the paths" into the hospital during the day, adding that anyone going in was having to explain their reason for being there.
The trust had transferred patients to other hospitals in the area and tweeted telling people not to go to A&E until further notice even in an emergency.
It advised people instead to visit other nearby hospitals or seek advice through the 111 helpline.
Deputy chief executive Helen Brown said: "We know that our NHS colleagues and the police are exceptionally busy at the moment, but this didn't stop them stepping in to help."
As of 5pm Thursday, 29 people had died at West Hertfordshire NHS Trust hospitals after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
The trust is responsible for Watford General as well as Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City hospitals.