A care home in Whetstone is believed to be the first closing because of coronavirus.

ITV reported that Friary Lodge care home, in Barnet Lane, has written to residents asking them to move out by the end of the month.

The care home says it is temporarily closing, with residents already being moved out to alternative accommodation, according to ITV.

In a letter to residents, which ITV has seen, Friary Lodge said "it is no longer possible to provide you with care and support that you need because of ongoing staffing issues and operational difficulties due to Covid-19".

Mary Masters, 91, moved from the home on Monday and was "very sad", her daughter Susan told ITV.

Friary Lodge's solicitor told ITV News: "Care homes and their residents have been greatly let down by the government."

Speaking in the House of Commons today, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Government of being "too slow" to protect people in care homes.

It comes after the Office for National Statistics showed care home deaths accounted to 40 per cent of coronavirus fatalities across England and Wales.

Mr Starmer said: "In his speech on Sunday the Prime Minister said we need to rapidly reverse the awful epidemic in our care homes, but earlier this year, and until 12 March, the Government's own official advice was, and I'm quoting from it, 'it remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected."

In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a further £600 million for infection control in care homes.

Mr Johnson said: "A huge exercise in testing is going on, a further £600 million I can announce today for infection control in care homes, and yes it is absolutely true that the number of casualties has been too high but I can tell the House, as I told (Sir Keir) last week and indeed this week, the number of outbreaks is down and the number of fatalities in care homes is now well down."