The Greenwich Winter Night Shelter is to shut down early due to the coronavirus as national charities call for Government support for the homeless amid the ongoing pandemic.

The night shelter is "working hard" to find appropriate accommodation for its guests immediately after making the "difficult decision" to close two weeks early tomorrow, March 19, following the latest Government advice.

Glass Door, a national homeless charity which runs a network of shelters, last week said it was still unclear how self-isolation will work for its guests, with up to 35 people staying in each night shelter.

Lucy Abraham, the charity's cheif operating officer, said the guidance to self-isolate and call 111 "looks very different when you sleep on the street because where do you go?"

The GWNS, which works in Greenwich to reduce rough sleeping during the cold weather, opened its doors on November 14, 2019, and welcomed 65 guests into its night shelter over the winter.

Around 28 of these guests have since been moved into more permanent accommodation, and the organisers added that they wanted to thank all its volunteers for their hard work this season.

The shelter will close on Thursday morning, and the shelter thanked everyone for "your patience in these extraordinary times."

Greenwich Council also sent a message thanking everyone at the shelter for the work they have done to help those with the least in the community, "helping us significantly reduce the need of people to rough sleep during the could weather."

"This has hugely helped us to achieve the 'in for good principal', giving Greenwich and its partners time to assist guests to move to more stable housing options.

"Please thank all the staff and volunteers at your end as they are true life savers and should not underestimate the impact they have had on the lives of those needing support at such a difficult time in their lives."

This week it was announced that an initial £3.2 million pot will be made available to councils in the UK to ensure that rough sleepers are protected from the coronavirus pandemic.

Community and housing secretary Robert Jenrick said it was important that we care for rough sleepers at this time, with the funding going towards ensuring accommodation is available for individuals who need to self-isolate.