Coronavirus UK: When should you self isolate? Latest advice
CORONAVIRUS is continuing to spread around the world, and now cases in the UK have reached 373. But when should you self-isolate? Here is the latest advice.
Coronavirus: Sixth fatality confirmed in the UK amid health crisis
Coronavirus cases have now reached 373 in the UK, with more and more diagnoses made every day. On Tuesday, a sixth person was reported to have died in the UK from coronavirus - all six patients were elderly and had pre-existing conditions.
The Government has been continually issuing advice, and now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against all travel to and from Italy.
Italy is one of the worst-hit areas in terms of coronavirus - official name COVID-19 - cases, with 10,149 cases and 631 deaths.
Airline Jet2 has cancelled all flights to Italy until April 26 and will make arrangements with British holidaymakers to return to the UK.
Those returning from Italy will be asked to self-isolate, even if they have no symptoms of coronavirus.
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Coronavirus - When should you self isolate?
After Travelling
According to Public Health England (PHE), there are two levels of guidance for travellers returning from coronavirus hit areas.
Category one advises travellers to self-isolate, even if showing no symptoms - asymptomatic.
PHE advises those who have visited category one countries to use the online NHS 111 service for guidance on what to do next.
Category one areas are Wuhan City and Hubei Province in China, Iran, Daegu or Cheongdo (Republic of Korea) and Italy.
The guidance for Italy applies for those who have returned from Italy on or after March 9, 2020.
Category two advises travellers do not need to self-isolate however if they do develop symptoms, isolate yourself and ring 111.
Category two areas are Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Contact with an infected person
If someone you know has been diagnosed with coronavirus and you have been in close contact with them, you may need to self-isolate to prevent further spread.
Close contact means being within 2m (6ft) of someone with the virus for 15 minutes or longer. This poses a significant risk of catching the virus.
When someone tests positive for coronavirus, officials then try to contact everyone that person has been in close contact with.
Then, they will advise those people whether or not to self-isolate.
If you think you are infected with coronavirus, do not attend a GP, urgent health centre or A&E.
Instead, call NHS 111 even if you have mild symptoms.
Symptoms of coronavirus
COVID-19 symptoms include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Diarrhoea
- Muscle pain
- Tiredness
Extreme cases can develop pneumonia, lung failure, septic shock, organ failure and even cause death.