What should I do if I have coronavirus and live in a care home?

This is a guide to what the government have said it is a good idea to do if you have coronavirus and live in a care home in England.

It is different to what the government have said it is a good idea to do if you have coronavirus and do not live in a care home.

Some people who have coronavirus do not know they have coronavirus. They feel well, or feel as if they have a cold.

Some people who have coronavirus feel poorly.

People who have coronavirus may:

• have a high temperature
• have a cough
• lose of have a change in their sense of taste or smell

People who have coronavirus may:

• feel tired
• feel sick
• have a runny or blocked nose
• have a sore throat
• find it difficult to breathe

If you think you might have coronavirus, a cold, or flu and

...you have a high temperature,

... or do not feel well enough to do the things you usually do,

... you should take a lateral flow test.

If you have a negative test result, you should stay away from other people for 2 days.

After 2 days, you should take another lateral flow test.

If you have a negative result from this test, you can do the things you usually do if you feel well enough to do them.

If you have a positive test result from 1 of the tests, you should self-isolate in the care home for up to 10 days.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you should count the day your symptoms started as day 0.

If you do not have symptoms of the coronavirus, you should count the day you took the lateral flow test as day 0.

You should then self-isolate for up to 10 whole days.

You can stop self-isolating before the end of day 10 if you do the following:

• starting on day 5, take a lateral flow test every day.

• If you have negative test results 2 days in a row...

...and you do not have a high temperature,

... you can stop self-isolating at the end of the day you had your second negative test result.

You can stop taking lateral flow tests and self-isolating at the end of day 10, even if you have not had 2 negative test results

People can still visit you at the care home while you are self-isolating.

You can only have 1 visitor at a time.

People who are paid to visit you can not visit while you are self-isolating.

For example, a hairdresser or someone who helps you look after your feet.

While  you are self-isolating, you can go out in the garden or outside space of the care home if,

... you can get outside without being close to other people who live in the care home.

Staff at the care home should help you go outside if possible.

If  you have been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus, you should:

• stay away from the person who has coronavirus as much as possible

• stay away from people who are more likely to be very poorly if they have coronavirus

• take a coronavirus test if you get symptoms of coronavirus.

The government guidance about how to try to slow down the spread of coronavirus in places like care homes, can be found on their Infection prevention and control in adult social care webpage.