A hospital in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's west London constituency said on Wednesday it had closed to emergency patients after an outbreak of coronavirus. The outbreak was declared last Friday at the Hillingdon Hospital by its state-run National Health Service (NHS) trust. As of Tuesday, 70 members of staff were self-isolating, "a number of whom" have tested positive for the virus, a spokesman for the trust said. "As a result, the trust has taken the precautionary decision to close Hillingdon Hospital to emergency ambulances and emergency admissions," he said. Britain's government has recorded more than 44,000 deaths in patients confirmed to have coronavirus, the highest toll in Europe, with official statistics showing the toll could be far higher. The country recorded 65,000 more deaths than usual in the three months to July as the virus spread nationwide. A lockdown imposed in late March is being eased but Johnson -- who spent a week in hospital himself with coronavirus -- says he will act quickly to shut down localised outbreaks. ar/jj