COVID-19 - guidance from Public Health England
10/03/2020
This article is more than four years old.
Public Health England has published a helpful blog outlining five things you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 (coronavirus).
The UK has well-established plans to deal with outbreaks of infectious disease and everyone can play an important role in making these plans work, slowing down the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
These simple steps are:
1. Wash your hands frequently and catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue
A simple and effective way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is by making sure you wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or a hand sanitiser if you are out and about. It's particularly important to wash your hands once you get home or arrive at work or before you prepare or eat food.
If you are unwell it's vital that you catch your coughs and sneezes in a tissue, or use your arm if needed, throw the tissues away, then wash your hands.
2. Be prepared to self-isolate
If COVID-19 begins to spread in the community over the coming days or weeks, people with symptoms of COVID-19 (such as a cough or fever) may be asked to self-isolate at home.
This may mean staying indoors and avoiding contact with other people for up to 14 days. The blog has guidance on who should self-isolate, and how to manage this.
3. Plan ahead based on your situation
There are a number of ways to slow down an infectious disease outbreak. Well-established tactics include self-isolation as mentioned above, as well as measures sometimes referred to as 'social distancing'.
The blog goes into more detail about what these measures mean, and how they will balance both the need to protect people and the importance of maintaining day-to-day life.
4. Use health services wisely
If in the coming weeks COVID-19 is spreading in the community this could mean the NHS is busier than usual so it's important to think carefully about the NHS services you use.
If you start to experience symptoms and believe you could have COVID-19, do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital as you could pass the infection to others. Visit 111.nhs.uk/covid-19 or call NHS 111 if you need to speak to someone.
Services like 999 or Accident and Emergency (A&E) should only be used for genuine emergencies.
5. Stay up to date using trusted sources of information
Since COVID-19 began to spread quickly in China, it has been a major global news story and with this level of media and public interest it’s inevitable that myths, misinformation and rumours will be shared online.
The UK Government and the NHS will keep people informed of new advice and developments.
Please check the following sources of advice frequently: