The emergency room at the Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital will be closed during the overnight hours this weekend.

Vitalité Health Network says a critical lack of nursing staff has led to the ER shutdown between 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.

Overnight emergency room service will resume Monday evening.

Anyone with urgent medical needs will have to seek help at another hospital and ambulances will be diverted to other facilities.

The health authority said patients seeking care not considered serious should contact their family doctor or nurse practitioner, consult a pharmacist, go to a walk-in clinic, call Tele-Care (811) or go online to eVisitNB, www.evisitnb.ca.