Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Saolta Hospital Group has confirmed that UHG is to defer all but very urgent and time critical inpatient and day surgery from tomorrow.
Outpatient clinics will also be cancelled, though a small number will take place virtually unless it is absolutely necessary for patients to be seen.
Patients will be notified directly if their appointment or procedure is being deferred.
It's part of efforts to reduce footfall at the hospital and tackle the rise in cases of Covid-19.
In a statement, Saolta says it regrets the impact these deferrals will have but it is a really important part of maintaining critical and emergency services.
It adds there are currently 3 wards in the hospital closed to new admissions due to confirmed cases of Covid-19.
UHG currently has 43 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - two of which are receiving treatment in ICU.
It's expected the deferrals will remain in place for at least two weeks after which point they will be reviewed.
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