Western Isles Hospital ward reopens after being forced to close due to Covid-19 outbreak

A ward at Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway has re-opened to the public after being closed earlier this month due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

Medical Ward 2 was temporarily closed to all new admissions on March 11 after a “small number” of cases of the virus were linked to the ward.

At the time, NHS Western Isles said the closure was to help prevent further spread of the virus.

The restricted visiting arrangements in place in both the medical and surgical wards have now been lifted.

Visiting time is between 2pm-8pm, with each patient allowed two visitors at a time, while visiting slots no longer have to be pre-booked.

A spokesman for NHS Western Isles said: “Thank you for your patience during this time and we apologise for any upset or inconvenience caused by the necessary temporary arrangements.”

Ward 2 at the hospital has been forced to close several times before due to an outbreak, with the last prior to this one being in July 2022.