NHS nurse urges people to ‘stay home’

Shirley Watts, an operating theatre nurse at a hospital in Essex, posted an emotional video to a Facebook group after a long and difficult shift in the ICU treating patients with coronavirus.

She urged people to stay indoors as medical staff continue to battle the virus.

“We are on our knees here and it’s really difficult and we are all trying the best we can and we feel like we could be doing more and I know we can’t,” Watts said.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a massive strain on the United Kingdom’s healthcare system. Hospitals face a shortage of staff, ventilators and intensive care beds. 

Medical staff also increasingly lack personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves.

“And you need to help protect the NHS because we are struggling at the moment to do everything that we need to do,” she continued. 

Since the UK went into lockdown several weeks ago, the public has taken part in two nationwide claps to show its appreciation for the NHS. But last weekend’s warm weather has also seen the public ignoring physical distancing rules.

“If you hear of anyone saying, ‘It’s not a big deal, we can go out.’ I want you to say to them: ‘No, you need to stay at home.'” Watts added.

This report was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Linh Nguyen.