Symptoms and what you should do

Coronavirus (COVID-19) infects the lungs.

The virus is transmitted either by the exchange of bodily fluid entering the body through the eyes, nose or mouth in the form of a cough or sneeze, or from touching an already infected surface and then touching your face.

The best ways to protect yourself and others are to wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, to sneeze or cough into a tissue and throw it away and to avoid social contact as much as possible.

For most people the virus will have mild symptoms and you will recover well but for some in high risk categories it could be more severe. The distancing measures in place are designed to keep the numbers of severe cases as low as possible to allow the NHS to cope with those numbers. Even if your body is likely to cope well you may infect a more vulnerable person who may not.

The 3 key symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• A high temperature of 37.8 
• A new and persistent dry cough
• Shortness of breath 

If you have any of these symptoms you are required to self isolate for 7 days.

If you are living with someone who has any of these symptoms, you must self-isolate for 14 days.

Provisions by the government are being put in place to allow Statutory Sick Pay to be claimed from Day 1 instead of the usual Day 4 of absence and you won’t need a GP’s Fit Note to claim.

For the latest advice and information from the Government, click on gov.uk/coronavirus.

For the latest advice and information from the NHS, click on nhs.uk/coronavirus.