ROYAL Berkshire Hospital (RBH) will "restrict all visitors to the wards and departments" to prevent the spread of coronavirus, it has announced.

The hospital's website explains: "In light of the recent announcements regarding the coronavirus (Covid-19) we have made the difficult decision to restrict all visitors to the wards and departments and would ask you to think very seriously about whether your visit is absolutely essential.

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"We are doing this because we want to do our very best to limit the spread of the virus and we know that the most effective way to do this is by reducing the amount of contact people have with each other and the number of people coming through the hospital."

A patient at the RBH with underlying health conditions who tested positive for coronavirus became the first UK death related to the illness earlier this month.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Royal Berkshire Hospital patient dies after testing positive for virus.

The RBH website continued: "If you have a family member who is an inpatient on one of our wards, who has tested positive for Covid-19, we are restricting visiting to one visitor per patient per day.

"There will be case by case exceptions to this guidance regarding all patients, which we would advise you to discuss with the nurse or midwife in charge of the ward or department.

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"We absolutely recognise the impact that this will have but if we are to be able to continue to provide vital health and care to patients it is necessary to introduce at this stage.

They explained they "will be reviewing this regularly and in line with national advice and guidance on the spread of the virus" and thanked visitors for their understanding and support.