If you are staying at home since the outbreak
of this deadly disease, then testing for coronavirus is not needed. By staying
home, you can control spreading this virus to friends, neighbors and your wider
community. In case you detect any symptoms, then you should live alone for the
next 7 days to lessen the risk of infecting others. If required, use COVID 19
home testing kits to know if you have been infected with this deadly
disease.
Staying at home might be quite frustrating,
but there are certain things you can do to make it easier. These include the
following:
Who this guidance is for
- Plan in advance and think what you need to stay at home for the next 7 or 14 days
- Speak with your employer, family and friends for help to access things you require and make your stay at home a success
- Think how you will be able to get access to food and other supplies like medications during this period
- Ask friends or family to drop off anything you require or order for your supplies online
- Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or through social media
- Consider things you can do at home such as – cooking, reading, online learning and watching films
- Many people can plan out the full 14 days and make the most out of this time
- When you feel better, remember physical exercise can be good for your overall well-being. Search for online classes that can help you to do light exercise in your home
Who this guidance is for
This advice has been intended for:
- People who have symptoms that might be caused due to coronavirus, and do not require hospital treatment, who must stay at home till they are fit
- Those living in the households with someone who has the symptoms that may be caused by coronavirus
When you are at home, do the following things
If
you are living with children
Children who are suffering from coronavirus seem
to be less severely affected. It is important to do your best for following
this guidance.
If
a vulnerable person is staying with you
Try to stay at least 2 metres away from
vulnerable people you live with and ask them to sleep in a different bed. If possible,
use a separate bathroom and separate towels after bathing, showering and for
hand-hygiene purposes.
Laundry
Avoid shaking dirty laundry in order to
lessen the chances of dispersing virus through the air.
Wash items according to the instructions of
the manufacturer as all dirty laundry can be washed in the same load.
If you don’t use a washing machine, wait for
72 hours after your 7-day or 14-day isolation period has ended when you can take
laundry to a public launderette.
If
you or your family require medical help
Ask for medical attention if you or any of
your family members is sick. You may contact NHS 111 online when it is not an
emergency. In case of any Internet access, call NHS 111. If there is an
emergency, dial 999 and inform the operator you or your relative have
coronavirus symptoms.
Wash
your hands frequently
Clean hands properly with soap and water for at
least 20 seconds or using hand sanitiser. This will protect you and the people
you live with to prevent from getting infected. This is one of the effective
ways to lessen the risk of passing this infection to others.
Cover
your coughs and sneezes
Cover your mouth and nose with tissues when
you are coughing or sneezing. In case you do not have one in hand, sneeze into
the crook of your elbow and not in your hand.
Facemasks
Using facemasks is not recommended as an
effective way for preventing the spread of this infection. Facemasks have an
important role in the clinical settings like hospitals, but there is little
evidence of getting benefited from their use outside these settings.
Do
not allow visitors in your home
You should not allow or invite visitors to
visit your house during this time. If you want to talk to someone, use your
phone or social media.
If
you have pets in your house
Presently, there isn’t any evidence that pets
like dogs and cats may be infected with this deadly coronavirus.
Take
care of yourself by staying at home
It is important to take care of your mind and
body while you remain at home for several days. Keep in touch with your family
and friends over the phone or through social media. Think about different things
you can do at home during this time. There are COVID 19 home
testing kits in London that allow you to conduct necessary tests and know
if you are suffering from this disease. This way, you can stay protected,
lessen the risks of passing it to others and prevent unwanted problems in
future.
End
self-isolation and household-isolation
Self-isolation
If you are symptomatic, then you might end
your self-isolation after 7 days. This 7-day period starts from the day when
you became sick, at first
Household
isolation
If you are staying with others, then all members
who are well may end household-isolation after 14 days. The 14-day period
starts from the day your illness had started. Fourteen days is the incubation
period for coronavirus and people stay well after 14 days will probably not get
infected.
After the 7 days, if the person feels better
and do not have high temperature, then they can get back to their normal
activities. If other family members become unwell during this 14-day
household-isolation period, then they have to follow the same advice - that is,
after 7 days of their symptoms developing, if they feel better and no longer
have high temperature, then they too can return to their normal routine.
If any member in your family develops the
symptoms of coronavirus late in the 14-day household-isolation period, then the
isolation period does not need to be extended, but the person with new symptoms
will have to stay at home for 7 days. This 14-day household-isolation period will
lessen the overall amount of infection for the rest of the household and it is
not at all needed to restart 14 days of isolation for the entire family. This
will provide high level of community protection and further isolation of members
of this household provides less additional community protection.
After the 14-day period ends, any family
member who has not been sick can leave household isolation.
If any sick person in the household did not
show any signs of improvement and have not taken medical advice, then they need
to contact NHS 111 online. If your home does not have internet access, then
you need to call NHS 111.
The cough might persist for several weeks in
case of some people, despite the coronavirus infection already being cleared. A
persistent cough does not mean that someone must continue to self-isolate for more
than 7 days.
Thus, it is advised you take necessary
precautions so that you do not get affected with this disease. Only then, you
will be able to your near and dear ones in every possible way and take proper
care of them.