New Covid-style policies like face masks and work from home could make a comeback as the NHS worsens.

Officials have been told a range of additional Covid-style guidance measures could be introduced if the government believes the NHS is on the brink of collapse due to the winter admissions crisis. I.

While ministers rule out national lockdowns or school closures, less drastic rules could be introduced in England, such as recommending that all passengers wear masks on public transport, not just those with one of the many common illnesses.

The government also has the ability to advise people to work from home if they can, especially if they get sick.

Officials have also developed a simplified version of social distancing in which it would be wise to avoid crowded spaces.

While the UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) has already urged parents not to send sick children to school, the government is reportedly advising teachers to send sick children home if they become ill at school or already have an illness.

None of the new measures will be mandatory, but they will reflect some of the preventive measures taken in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

According to government sources, the measures are being prepared as hospitals and emergency services continue to be overwhelmed by a surge in hospital admissions due to influenza, Covid, Streptococcus A and other diseases.

That’s what a well-informed source told me. I: “There is a list of possible measures. Ministers ruled out lockdowns and school closures. But milder and less drastic measures may soon be introduced if the NHS is in danger of collapsing.

“The focus here is on orientation. Nothing can be imposed or enforced. While the policy is for people who are sick to wear a mask when leaving their homes, it may well be that wearing a mask will again become a policy for all public transport users.

Another government source added: “Guidelines for children to stay at home sick and for the sick to wear face masks are prudent precautions and have been issued. So it makes sense that teachers can send kids home if they get sick at school.

“We haven’t reached that point yet, but telling everyone, sick or not, to wear masks on public transport isn’t really going to make people disabled.

“It would also make perfect sense to ask people who can work from home if the NHS needs everything to support them during this busy time of the year.”

Asked about existing UKHSA rules for sick people to wear a face mask when going outside, a spokesman for the prime minister said: “It is not mandatory.

“This is more advice from the UKHSA than ministers telling people what to do.”

Dr McKay of the NHS Confederation added: “We don’t think we’re at a stage where we need to consider a possible return to the measures taken in the midst of the pandemic, including mandatory masks, social distancing, or reintroducing work guidelines. with the public. from home where they can. NHS leaders understand the trade-offs involved in implementing these measures and will only reintroduce them as a last resort, but taking action to prevent the spread of the disease to others remains prudent.

A UKHSA spokesperson said that further measures would “satisfy the DHSC”.

A DHSC spokesman said: “It is not true to say that we are considering taking such measures. We are working hard with the NHS to manage the pressures of this winter.”

Cornish health officials are considering using hotels to free up hospital beds.

Cornish health officials can move patients in need of ongoing care to hotels to free up beds at the county’s only major hospital in Truro.

Due to the lack of social assistance in the county, the Royal Cornwall Hospital Fund will discuss how to move vulnerable patients who no longer require emergency care from hospital beds to hotels at a meeting on Wednesday.

Health chiefs say the country’s emergency rooms are under “incredible pressure” and people should “think really hard” before going to them.

Visitors to Cornwall over the New Year period have been told to bring their own first aid kits to help Truro Hospital and the county’s ambulance service if they become ill or injured while on holiday.

Cornwall’s health and care system is operating at critical incident levels after “acute pressures” caused our “operational levels” to escalate, health officials said.

The South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said it had declared its status a critical incident due to “current emergency pressure”.

This won’t be the first time Cornwall has resorted to hotel accommodation to free up hospital beds.

In November 2021, during the ongoing effects of the Covid pandemic, the company hired temporary workers to serve patients requiring extra care in hotels.

At the same time, up to £1,200 has been offered to local residents to get family members out of the hospital as part of a series of emergency responses to alleviate the health crisis in the county.

County health officials have also been booking hotel rooms to cope with the pressure placed on the Royal Cornwall Hospital just before the pandemic began.

In January 2020, the hospital foundation booked 10 hotel rooms to “promote social redundancy or individuals with low support needs.”

Jane Kirkham, Cornwall Borough Councilor for Falmouth Smithick, said: I: “Cornwall has struggled for years with waiting times and people unable to leave the hospital due to a lack of social assistance.

“We only have one large emergency hospital in Cornwall despite our geographically dispersed population and the fact that our population doubles at certain times of the year.

“Even before Covid, the NHS was booking hotel rooms here as extra beds for patients. Cornwall has historically underfunded our health and education systems. We need more support from the government.”