Self-isolation helps stop coronavirus spreading

Do not leave your home if you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) or live with someone who does.

This is called self-isolation.

If you are self-isolating, you must:

• not leave your home for any reason – if you need food or medicine, order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home
• not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home

You can use your garden, if you have one. Any exercise should be taken at home.

How long to self-isolate

If you have symptoms

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you’ll need to self-isolate for 7 days.

After 7 days:

• if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to self-isolate
• if you still have a high temperature, keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal

You do not need to self-isolate if you just have a cough after 7 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

If you live with someone who has symptoms

If you live with someone who has symptoms, you’ll need to self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

If more than 1 person at home has symptoms, self-isolate for 14 days from the day the first person started having symptoms.

If you get symptoms, self-isolate for 7 days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you’re self-isolating for longer than 14 days.

If you do not get symptoms, you can stop self-isolating after 14 days.