What you should do
Here are some simple things you can do to keep yourself safe and help stop the spread of coronavirus.
- Stay at home: only go out to buy food, collect medicine, go to a medical appointment, or exercise. You can go to work if you cannot do your job from home.
- Stay two meters away: if you have to go out, stay two meters (six feet) away from other people.
- Do not meet friends or family: do not meet your friends or family at home or out in public.
- Wash your hands: wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as soon as you get home.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes: cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, hanky or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
- Do not touch your face: do not touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
Find out more about what you can and cannot do on the Government website.
Some people are at a higher risk and need to take extra steps to avoid coronavirus. To find out more about this, go to the NHS website.
About coronavirus
The NHS says the signs of coronavirus are:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. If you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual.
If you have these symptoms, go to the NHS 111 website for help. Only call 111 if you can’t use the website. Do not go to the doctor, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.
You can have coronavirus without knowing it. Some people have the disease but do not show signs and do not feel unwell. That’s why we have to stay at home and stay away from other people even if we feel fit and well.
Coronavirus affects people differently. For some people it’s mild. But for about one in five people it’s serious and means they need to go to hospital. (According to the World Health Organisation.)