- March 23, 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading

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 can only leave your home:

to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary

What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms

Continue to stay at home if you have either:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.

Advice for people at high risk

If you're at high risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus, there are extra things you should do to avoid catching it.

These include:

not leaving your home – you should not go out to do shopping, visit friends or family, or attend any gatherings
avoiding close contact with other people in your home as much as possible
Who is at high risk?

You may be at high risk from coronavirus if you:

have had an organ transplant
are having certain types of cancer treatment
have blood or bone marrow cancer, such as leukaemia
have a severe lung condition, such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma
have a condition that makes you much more likely to get infections
are taking medicine that weakens your immune system
are pregnant and have a serious heart condition

Other things you can do to stop the infection spreading
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
- stay 2 metres (3 steps) away from other people, if you need to go outside
- Don't
  - do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
  - How coronavirus is spread
    
    Because it's a new illness, we do not know exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person.
    
    Similar viruses are spread in cough droplets.
    
    It's very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.
  - Treatment for coronavirus
    
    There is currently no specific treatment for coronavirus.
    
    Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses.
    
    Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness.
    
    You'll need to stay in isolation, away from other people, until you have recovered

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