Self-isolating

How to self-isolate and protect Portsmouth

Our Protect Portsmouth guide to self-isolating will help you know what to do if you need to self-isolate.

You must self-isolate if you have coronavirus symptoms, have tested positive or are contacted by Test and Trace as you may have been infected – even if you don’t have symptoms. You must also self-isolate if you live with or share a support bubble with someone who has symptoms or tested positive.

Self-isolating is hard but it is really important to stop others from getting ill. If you don’t self-isolate when you should, you will be breaking the law and could be fined.

Self-isolating is much stricter than the instruction to stay at home that we’ve seen set out under national and local restrictions. If you’re self-isolating, you should not leave the house for any reason – other than to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms.

You can find out more about the latest coronavirus rules for everyone here.

If you tick one or more of the boxes below, you must stay at home and self-isolate:

• You have symptoms of the virus
• You tested positive for the virus
• You live or share a support bubble with someone showing symptoms
• You live or share a support bubble with or someone who has tested positive
• You have travelled to the UK from certain countries
• You have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace or local contact tracing teams and been told to self-isolate
• An alert from the NHS COVID-19 app telling you to self-isolate
• A child or young person has been told by school/college/university to stay at home and self-isolate

Most people will need to self-isolate and not leave home at all for 10 – 14 days. You can find out more on the NHS website.

If you’re self-isolating it’s really important to do what you can to help protect others at home from coronavirus. Here are a few simple things you can do:

• Keep shared spaces like the bathroom and kitchen clean using normal household products
• Regularly clean things people touch the most such as taps, worktops, tables, door handles, light switches and handrails
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
• Don’t share towels, including hand towels and tea towels
• Cover coughs and sneezes and bin tissues quickly
• Air the house and open windows when you can, coronavirus doesn’t spread as quickly in well-ventilated spaces
• Limit close contact with others at home as much as possible.

If you have coronavirus symptoms, you should book a test by calling 119 or visiting Gov.UK. The symptoms are:

• A high temperature
• A new, continuous cough
• A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

You might not get much notice that you need to self-isolate, especially if you’re contacted by NHS Test and Trace or the Covid-19 app. As soon as you know you need to self-isolate you must stay at home. Don’t be tempted to nip out to the shops to stock up on food and essentials for the next two weeks.

It’s a good idea to plan ahead and make sure you already have essential items at home. It might be a few days before you can get supplies, from friends, family or local support services. Think about having:

• Some long-life food supplies, such as tinned food, long-life milk, frozen meals
• A stock of day-to-day essentials like soap and toothpaste
• Essential medicines and medical supplies that you rely on or might need if you start to feel unwell. Most pharmacies can deliver medication, so please don’t request more than you need – just make sure you have enough to get you through a few days of needing to stay home
• Contact details for friends, family and local support services who can help you with supplies while you’re self-isolating

It might also be helpful to think about how you will keep yourself entertained for two weeks and stay comfortable if you’re feeling unwell.

There is help at hand if you’re worried about self-isolating, if you need help getting essentials like food or medicine, or if self-isolating will cause financial difficulty.