Some wards in a hospital will remain closed to visitors until at least Monday.

St Richard's Hospital in Chichester declared a major incident last Friday as a result of a norovirus stomach bug outbreak.

Visits to the hospital were completely suspended until the major incident was stepped down by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust on Sunday.

Since then, visitors have still been banned from visiting wards affected by norovirus.

The hospital trust has said that this will remain the case until at least Monday when the situation will be reviewed.

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A spokesman for the trust said: "As we continue to recover from the rise in norovirus cases at St Richard’s Hospital, the temporary pause in visiting affected wards must remain in place.

"Our teams have been working exceptionally hard in these challenging circumstances to keep our patients safe and we are keen to maintain this momentum.

"As such, we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to continue to have visiting restrictions in place as we monitor the situation."

Visiting restrictions have limited exceptions including those receiving end-of-life care and children.

People have been told to contact the wards for further information on whether visiting is allowed.

The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust continued: "We understand the difficulty these restrictions may cause for those apart from their family and friends and recognise how important it is for you to see them whilst they’re staying in hospital, but this decision is vital to preventing the spread of norovirus and protecting our patients.

"Thank you to our teams and the public for supporting us to manage this rise in norovirus cases and helping us to keep our patients safe during this difficult period, so our hospital can return to its normal running. We hope to be able to open our doors to visitors in these areas again very soon. "

The hospital trust has advised people not to come to the hospital unless it is an emergency if they have had "flu-like" symptoms, vomiting and diarrhoea in the last 48 hours.

The visitor restrictions will be reassessed on Monday.