Coronavirus (COVID-19)

By Editor | March 31, 2020

Following the speech from the Prime Minister on March 23rd.

Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions.

You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons:

  • shopping for basic necessities, for example, food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
  • one form of exercise a day, for example, a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
  • any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home

These 4 reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

There is separate advice about:

To help yourself stay well while you’re at home:

  • stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media
  • try to keep yourself busy – you could try activities like cooking, reading, online learning and watching films
  • do light exercise at home, or outside once a day

If you need medical help for any reason, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), use the 111 coronavirus service.

If you need help or advice not related to coronavirus:

  • for health information and advice, use the NHS website or your GP surgery website
  • for urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service – only call 111 if you’re unable to get help online
  • for life-threatening emergencies, call 999 for an ambulance

Read the full advice on protecting yourself if you’re at high risk from coronavirus on GOV.UK.

If you live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus, you can get an isolation note, you do not need to get a note from a GP.

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

For further information go to nhs.uk/coronavirus or gov.uk/coronavirus.