Hospitals across Scotland are sticking to tighter visiting rules despite the mainland moving down to ‘Level 0’ this week.

Although government guidance allows visiting to fully reopen under Level 0, no health board has taken the opportunity to do so.

Health officials says they are taking a “precautionary” approach while levels of covid-19 in the community remain high, citing the need to protect staff and patients.

Most hospitals are sticking to at least two designated visitors per patient, with additional visitors at the discretion of hospital management, which is the amount allowed under Level 1 restrictions.

They are NHS Tayside, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Highland and Lothian, as well as the three island boards.

Exemptions are allowed for birth partners, end-of-life care, children and those with a mental health issue who might become distressed.

Boards told healthandcare.scot that arrangements are continually being kept under review and may be changed at short notice.

Kate Patience-Quate, the deputy Director of Nursing at NHS Highland, which is sticking to Level 1 guidance on visiting, said this was the “safest option at this time as cases of covid-19 remain widespread and pressures on the entire health and social care system are at an unprecedented level.”

The largest health board, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, said it was opting for a “precautionary approach while covid-19 infections remain high” and that visiting had to continue to be “carefully managed”.

Ayrshire & Arran, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley and Fife have opted for a more cautious approach of just one named visitor. At NHS Borders the default position is one visitor, with two where ward space allows.

NHS Lanarkshire nurse director Susan Friel said: “Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in the number of Covid patients in our hospitals, particularly in the younger generation, and it is our priority to protect our patients and staff as much as is possible.”

She added: “We are reviewing this regularly and as soon as it is safe to do so, we will be expanding visiting by prioritising access for those closest to the patient and removing the very limiting time restrictions currently in place.”

Orkney and Shetland remain under Level 1 visiting restrictions, despite the islands moving down to the lowest level of restrictions several weeks ago.

NHS Western Isles has taken a different approach across its hospitals, with visiting restricted at Stornoway’s Western Isles Hospital to one visitor at a time.

The health board says the hospital it has had to increase bed numbers to meet “very high” demand, and so has not been able to maintain safe physical distancing within ward areas.

In Uist and Barra Hospital, Benbecula, and St Brendan’s, Barra, patients can have up to two visitors.

Read more: Care home families: "we are not unnecessary footfall"; Anger over ‘ill-considered’ new mask rule; Hospital at ‘code black’ amid covid-19 resurgence

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.