PEOPLE in Basingstoke have been urged to stay at home over the Easter bank holiday weekend by a top hospital boss.

Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester hospitals, said that the number of hospital admissions had stabilised lately, adding that whilst it is too soon to be certain, it was probably down to the fact that social distancing measures were working.

It comes after the Trust confirmed that 95 patients were being treated for coronavirus at Basingstoke hospital, with another 29 waiting for results.

Speaking to the Gazette, Ms Whitfield said: "We're wondering whether the fact that [hospital admissions are] stabilising in the last couple of days is that this social distancing is starting to have an effect.

"It's probably too early to say and we don't want everyone to go out and enjoy the Easter bank holiday on the basis of that."

It comes after Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, also urged people to stay at home.

He said at the government's daily press briefing yesterday: "We're starting to see the impact of the sacrifices we've all made.

"But the deaths are still rising, and we haven't yet reached the peak of the virus.

"So it's still too early to lift the measures that we've put in place. We must stick to the plan."

The Met Office is forecasting temperatures of 22 degrees on Good Friday and Easter Saturday in North Hampshire, with sunshine throughout most of the weekend. It is due to get cloudier on Sunday, before temperatures drop dramatically on Monday.