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 immediately if you have coronavirus symptoms or have tested positive. From 16 August, if you are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus and you are fully vaccinated (at least 14 days have passed since your second dose) or you are under 18 years 6 months old, you are no longer required to self-isolate.

If you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus you are advised to get a PCR test as soon as possible as you may have been infected – even if you have been vaccinated.

It’s really important that we all continue to follow coronavirus safety advice to keep ourselves and others safe – hands, face, space, fresh air.

What is self-isolating?

When to self-isolate

What you can and can't do

Keeping others safe

How to get tested

Be prepared to self-isolate

Get help and support

Self-isolation guides

What is self-isolating?

Self-isolating is much stricter than the instruction we all had during lockdown to stay at home. If you’re self-isolating, you should not leave the house. That includes shopping for essentials or exercising outside your home or garden.

Self-isolating is hard but it is really important to stop others from getting ill. If you don’t self-isolate following a positive coronavirus test, you will be breaking the law and could be fined – even if you do not have symptoms or have been vaccinated.

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

When to self-isolate

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 are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus, you are over 18 and you are not fully vaccinated (you have not had both doses or are within 14 days of your second dose)

You may need to self-isolate at home or in a quarantine hotel if you have travelled to England from abroad. There are different rules depending on if you’ve travelled from a country or territory on the red, amber or green list. Find out what you need to do before you travel on the government’s website.

You can find out more about when to self-isolating and treating symptoms of coronavirus on the NHS website

What you can and can't do when you self-isolate

You can't

You can’t pop to the shops or pharmacy
You can’t leave the house for exercise or to walk the dog
You can’t go to a place of work
You can’t catch a bus or train
You can’t go out to pick up a takeaway
You can’t go to school or drop your children off at school
You can’t meet up with other people

You can

You can work from home
You can exercise in your home or garden
You can ask others to deliver food or medicine to your doorstep
You may leave your home when self-isolating if you need urgent medical care, or to avoid harm at home – for example if you’re at risk from domestic violence.
You can leave the house to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms but you must go straight there and back. It is best to walk or drive yourself there if you can. Find out more about getting a test.

How to keep others safe at home

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 easily in well-ventilated spaces

Limit close contact with others at home as much as possible

Know the symptoms and get tested

If you have coronavirus symptoms, you should book a PCR 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

Find out more about getting tested for coronavirus in Portsmouth.

Be prepared in case you need to self-isolate

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 10 days.

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 and stay comfortable if you’re feeling unwell.

Where to get help

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.

Help with food and shopping

The HIVE online directory includes a list of food providers, food banks and businesses offering extra services like deliveries.

You can also find details of local foodbanks here.

Help with money and work

If you have to self-isolate and you’re worried about whether you will get paid while you’re away from work, you can find out about financial support on our work and money pages.

You can get an isolation note from the NHS website to send to your employer as proof you need to be off work. You don’t need to get a note from your GP.

Test and trace support payments have been introduced for those on lower incomes who must self-isolate but can’t work from home and will lose income as a result. These £500 payments are available if you:

NHS Test and Trace has confirmed you need to self-isolate and you have an 8 digit test and trace ID number
are in work but facing a loss of income as you can’t work from home
are currently receiving benefits payments

Check eligibility and apply online here. Those who are not online can call 023 9261 6708 for help with their application.

Help with mental wellbeing

Self-isolating isn’t easy and it can be lonely. If you’re struggling to cope, having difficulty sleeping or managing stress, you’re not alone.

You can find advice on how to protect your mental wellbeing, details on where to go for help, and advice for parents, carers and young people on our mental health and wellbeing page.

If you’re self-isolating read advice from mental health charity MIND on managing your mental health in relation to coronavirus and self-isolating.

Whatever you’re going through, you can call the Samaritans free anytime, from any phone, on 116 123, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Help if you're unwell

If you’re feeling unwell with coronavirus symptoms you can find advice on things that might help you on the NHS website.

It’s important to get medical help if your symptoms get worse. Visit the NHS website for advice on where to get help.

If you cannot get help online, call 111. An advisor will direct to the most appropriate service and can book a slot at the Emergency Department (A&E) if needed.

Help for families

Children and young people who are self-isolating should not leave the house for any reason. They can’t go to the park, see their friends, attend school or any other childcare setting until their period of self-isolation is over.

On our schools and families page, you can find out what happens if someone in school has coronavirus symptoms and advice on when to keep your child at home.

Your school will provide advice about how your child can access the school’s remote learning systems while they are at home.

Portsmouth Education Partnership has an overview of the coronavirus support available to children, families and schools.

Help for students

There is support available to students who are self-isolating through the University of Portsmouth.

Guides

A handy guide to self-isolating

Download our handy guide to self-isolating. It’s full of information on when and how to self-isolate, where to go for help and support, and tips on staying healthy and keeping busy. The guide will help you be prepared in case you or someone in your household has to self-isolate and it is good to refer back to if you’re asked to stay at home.

A handy guide to self-isolating

We also have some handy fact sheets with key information from the guide:

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