Stay home for SEVEN days if you have a cough or mild fever, Britons are told 

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Stay home for SEVEN days if you have a cough or mild fever, Britons are told

  • UK Government announced it has moved to the second phase of its action plan
  • Anyone with symptoms should stay in isolation even if have not travelled abroad
  • It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a Cobra meeting earlier today
  • Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

By Raven Saunt For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

People are being urged to stay at home for an entire week if they have a cough or fever as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The UK Government announced it has moved to the second phase of its action plan following the Prime Minister’s emergency Cobra meeting earlier today.

Boris Johnson declared that anyone who has picked up a new cough or fever should stay at home in isolation for at least seven days – even if they have not travelled abroad recently. 

Boris Johnson declared that anyone who has picked up a new cough or fever should stay at home in isolation for at least seven days – even if they have not travelled abroad recently

The official guidance now states: ‘If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for seven days from when your symptoms started.’

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, said that people who are exhibiting only mild symptoms can still spread the virus as it is most infectious during the first few days.

But the new measures have so far divided professional opinion.

Dr Alexander Edwards, from the University of Reading, said: ‘This looks like a sound strategy from the health authorities in the UK.’ 

But Professor Graham Cooke, from Imperial College London, instead indicated that this could be an over-reach and many people with colds will end up staying off work. 

He said: ‘The decision on implementing delay measures is a delicate balance of benefits and harms.

Mr Johnson warned the public to expect an announcement in the coming weeks that entire households could be also asked to stay in isolation for seven days (stock image)

‘We are still in a time of year when fever and cough is more likely to be due to other, more benign, viruses.

‘For example, [colds and flu] continue to circulate. Introducing self-isolation measures without a proven diagnosis at this time is more likely to cause unnecessary inconvenience (and possibly harm) than it is to help in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2.’

The official guidance also added that anyone with symptoms should stay at least two metres away from those who they live with.        

Mr Johnson warned the public to expect an announcement in the coming days or weeks that entire households could soon also be asked to stay in isolation for a period of seven days.

‘Sleep alone, don’t go for a walk and don’t shake your dirty laundry’: Government issues advice for people self-isolating  

The Government issued a how-to guide for people forced to quarantine this afternoon.

It came as Boris Johnson and his medical advisers said anyone with symptoms of coronavirus should stay at home for seven days. 

The guidance provides practical advice, including keeping away from all other human beings as much as possible.

It includes: 

  • You cannot go for a walk but you can use your own garden
  • You can buy food and other supplies online but you must warn drivers to leave goods outside and do not invite them in
  • Stay in a well-ventilated room with a window that can be opened
  • Stay in a different room to other people you live with
  • If that isn’t possible stay two metres or three steps away from other people
  • Sleep alone if possible
  • Do not have visitors
  • Use your own toothbrushes, eating and drinking utensils, dishes, drinks, towels, washcloths or bedlinen
  • Use the kitchen at different times to others in the house and eat alone.
  • Use a dishwasher if you have one
  • If you are breastfeeding, consider asking someone else to feed the baby using expressed milk in a bottle
  • Bag personal waste like used tissues inside two bags and keep it away from other household waste for 72 hours before adding to refuse
  • Do not shake dirty laundry; this minimises the possibility of dispersing virus through the air
  • If you don’t have a washing machine wait until after you isolation before going to a launderette
  • Keep hydrated by drinking water
  • Clean your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds