A ward at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth that cares for patients with dementia has been closed due to coronavirus.
Tummel Ward at the NHS Tayside hospital was locked down on Monday and is no longer accepting new patients following cases of Covid-19 at the site.
NHS Tayside said they could not confirm individual cases or numbers but The Courier understands that staff and patients have contracted the virus.
The ward at the mental health facility supports elderly patients with brain disease disorders.
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), said: “Tummel Ward in Murray Royal Hospital is closed to new admissions due to Covid-19.
“The ward has been closed to new patients as a precautionary measure and all appropriate infection prevention and control measures have been put in place.”
An NHS Tayside employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said there had been multiple cases on the ward.
They said: “One of the wards at Murray Royal is on lock down.
“Multiple patients positive and staff as well.”
The Murray Royal ward is the second to shut at an NHS Tayside hospital in Perth within a matter of days.
On Friday evening Tay Ward at Perth Royal Infirmary was also closed following an outbreak of coronavirus.
Tay Ward is part of the medicine for the elderly unit within the scope of Perth and
Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and provides rehabilitation for patients aged 65 years and over.
A spokesperson for the partnership said: “Tay Ward at Perth Royal Infirmary has been closed temporarily due to Covid-19.
“Fortunately, there were no patients in the ward at the time it closed.
“All appropriate infection prevention and control measures have been put in place to ensure that the ward will be able to re-open when it is required.”
A whistleblower told The Courier that a number of staff members on the ward had tested positive or become symptomatic of coronavirus.
