See advice on masks below...
Current General Safety Advice
Stay at home
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (if you cannot work from home)
If you go out, stay 6ft away from others
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently
Shower when you return from shopping
Rinse fruit and vegetables under running water and leave for 24 hours before consuming
Peel or cook fresh fruit and vegetables
Self Isolating Advice
Stay at home and ask for help with deliveries of food and prescriptions
If you go out to exercise, keep at least 6ft away from other people
Wash your hands frequently and as soon as you get home
Self Isolation is recommended for the following categories of people:
Vulnerable
Over 70's
Pregnant
Chronic health problems including diabetes, heart disease, COPD, asthma
Extremely Vulnerable
Anyone on immunosuppressives, including steroids
Cancer patients
Solid organ transplant recipients
DO NOT LEAVE HOME IF:
- You have a high temperature (you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, you do not need a thermometer for this)
- You have a new, continuous cough (coughing a lot for more than an hour/ a worse cough than usual for you/ 3 or more coughing fits in 24hours)
If you develop the above symptoms you should contact anyone you have spent more than 15 minutes with at less than 2m over the past 5 days and they should also self isolate for 7 days, whether they have symptoms or not.
Reducing risk of infection from COVID19
(Dr K. Armstrong)
Asymptomatic carriage of Covid-19 is common , so until the country is fully vaccinated we will still advise extreme caution.
Any place where there are multiple people, for instance supermarkets and shops, poses a risk. You should limit your exposure by going as little as possible, ideally no more than once a week.
You should consider the following:
- Staying 2M away from people is still your best protection
- Current advice is that everyone shopping should wear a home made mask. This is so that if an infected person coughs or sneezes then the spread of the virus is limited by their face covering. Always wash your hands before and after putting on your mask. Always wash your mask after each use.
- Don't touch your face when shopping as you may spread the virus from something you have touched onto your face or contaminate your mask.
- Always wash your hands as soon as you get home as well as wiping down packaging.
- Wearing gloves(either disposable or household) is also a sensible precaution. You should take these off as soon as you leave the shop and either throw them away (disposable) or bag them to wash in hot soapy water for reuse (household gloves). Beware of a false sense of security - gloves will still allow transmission from surfaces to your face, so you must not touch your face while you are shopping.
Hospital clinicians are currently being advised to take off work clothes at work (and bag them) and then again at the door of their home and wash them straight away (ideally at 60 degrees, but soap should kill the virus at lower temperatures), then have a shower and wash their hair. You may wish to consider this after a visit to the supermarket, or after you return from work, to reduce risk to you and your household.
The staff in food shops, pharmacies, care homes and domiciliary care are doing an amazing and vital job, let's protect them, as well as ourselves, by taking sensible precautions to limit the spread of infection and going out as little as possible.
The Wearing of Masks
As of 24th July 2020 , the wearing of masks when shopping in supermarkets or on public transport was made compulsory. Clinical masks should be reserved for professional medical and care staff.
The wearing of masks may provide a reduction of the spread of infection from someone with CVD19 to others around them. Doctors’ surgeries are requesting patients to wear a mask if they need to come for a consultation.
If you need a mask and have been unable to acquire one, please call your volunteer. Otherwise, you might like to try and make one:
There is also a good opportunity to buy a mask and contribute to Great Ormond St hospital - visit Will Bayley's face mask page
Home visits by electricians, plumbers and other trades people
Recommended Safety procedures
Tradespeople's safety is equally important as your own.
Ask yourself: Is the visit essential? If it is not: postpone it.
Ask yourself: Can the problem be solved through a video conversation or by consulting YouTube?
Think through exactly what work needs to be done. Brief tradespeople in detail before their visit so that they know what tools and parts they need to bring with them; so that you can keep on-site briefing to a minimum.
Send photographs of the work site where possible.
Clear access to the site before the visit.
Where possible clean the area immediately around the site with alcohol, Dettol or Milton wipes
Immediately before the visit, or on arrival, confirm that you and the tradespeople believe you are both are free from symptoms of Coronavirus. If either of you are unsure, cancel the visit
Do not handle any of the tools or materials brought onto the site.
If the work is outside neither party need wear gloves nor wear masks if social distancing of two metres is maintained.
If the work is indoors:
*keep the area well ventilated.
*ask tradespeople to wash their hands for 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser if washing is not possible.
*keep to social distancing of two metres as a minimum and preferably stay out of any rooms where work is being done.
*ask tradespeople to wear a mask and do so yourself if you are going to be in the same room.
Do not offer tradespeople anything to drink.
After the work is completed get the tradesperson to clean the immediate area with alcohol, Dettol or Milton wipes.
Pay by bank transfer if possible.