Overstretched nurses working round the clock at Queen Elizabeth Hospital are calling on the public to stay at home.

There have been 41 confirmed cases in borough of Greenwich, many of which will be receiving treatment from staff in the Woolwich hospital's critical care unit.

Expressing gratitude to everyone who has supported them so far, one nurse from the unit, who wished to remain anonymous, warned of tough times to come.

She said: "Thank you to everyone who has shown their love and support to the dedicated healthcare workers of the NHS.

"The last few weeks have been the toughest most of us have ever had to deal with and this is only just the beginning... my heart is overwhelmed with the hard work and dedication and the blood, sweat and tears the nurses on the intensive care unit at Queen Elizabeth hospital in woolwich have shown.

"We are in for an even tougher ride yet and we would all like to get a message across.

"We have to fight this virus and end it once and for all!

"We are pleading everyone stay at home and self isolate to stop this virus spreading!

"If we all work together this can be achieved! So were asking you, PLEASE! PLEASE! Stay at home so things can all get back to normal."

Two elderly patients who tested positive for coronavirus at Queen Elizabeth Hospital died last weekend.

The patients were both in their 80s and were described as the trust as having "underlying health conditions."

The Government is urging members of the public to socially distance from each other, avoiding all but essential contact outside the home to suppress the spread of the virus.

Boris Johnson ordered the closure of the hospitality and entertainment sectors from Saturday amid fears the NHS could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases.

With scientists warning social distancing measures will have to stay in place for months to come, tens of thousands of pubs, bars, restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, gyms and betting shops were left wondering when they will be able to open their doors again.

The move came as a further 39 people in England were confirmed to have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK death toll to 177.