Information on Coronavirus
For the most up to date information about COVID-19, go to GOV.UK.
Update: 24 February
You will not be legally required to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19. Stay at home if you can and avoid contact with other people.
You will not have to take daily tests or be legally required to self-isolate following contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme will end. If you were told to self-isolate before 24 February you can still make a claim up to 6 April.
The government is removing remaining domestic restrictions in England. There are still steps you can take to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19:
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Let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside
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Consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces
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Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms, and stay at home if positive
Sussex Health and Care Partnership have published a page with helpful translated information around COVID-19 and the vaccination programme.
If you think you have COVID-19
The main symptoms of COVID-19 are a recent onset of any of the following:
- a new continuous cough
- a high temperature
- a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
If you have any of these symptoms you should order a PCR test. You are advised to stay at home, avoid contact with other people, and follow the guidance for people with COVID-19 and their contacts while you wait for your test result.
There is additional guidance for people who have been informed by the NHS that they are at highest risk of becoming severely unwell and who might be eligible for new COVID-19 treatments.
Get help from NHS 111 if:
- You are worried about your symptoms
- You are not sure what to do
How to self isolate if you or someone in your house has coronavirus
If you have COVID-19 you can infect other people from 2 days before your symptoms start, and for up to 10 days after. You can pass on the infection to others, even if you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. If you have COVID-19 the public health advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. You should follow the guidance for people with COVID-19 and their contacts.
Try to stay at home if you’re feeling unwell
If you feel unwell but do not have COVID-19 symptoms, or your COVID-19 test is negative, you may still have an illness which could be passed on to other people. Many common illnesses, like the flu or the common cold, are spread from one person to another. This can happen:
- when someone infected with an illness breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes, releasing respiratory particles which can cause infection in another person
- through surfaces and belongings which can also be contaminated when people who are infected with an illness cough or sneeze near them or if they touch them, the next person to touch that surface may then become infected
Staying at home until you feel better reduces the risk that you will pass on an illness to your friends, colleagues, and others in your community. This will help reduce the burden on our health services.
How to avoid catching or spreading germs
Do:
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Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
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Put used tissues in the bin straight away.
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Wash your hands with soap and water often, and for 20 seconds – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
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Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
Don't:
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Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
Consider wearing a face covering
COVID-19 spreads through the air by droplets and aerosols that are exhaled from the nose and mouth of an infected person. Whilst there is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering, the Government suggests that you continue to wear one in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you come into contact with people you do not usually meet, when rates of transmission are high.
Find out more information about face coverings
Coronavirus vaccine
Click here for updates on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in West Sussex.
Or you can go to the Sussex Health & Care Partnership website. You can find FAQ's here too.
Further information
Go to the Sussex Health & Care Partnership website for the latest updates of Coronavirus news for West Sussex.
Other places for information:
