If you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 then you will be told to self-isolate by either:
- an email, text, or phonecall from NHS Test and Trace
- an alert from the NHS COVID-19 app
If you have been told by either of the above to self-isolate, then you must:
- Self-isolate immediately
- Do not leave your home for any reason – ask family or friends to drop off food or medication
- Do not have visitors to your home except for essential care
- Avoid contact with anyone you live with as much as possible
- Any people that you do live with/anyone in your support bubble does not need to self-isolate if they do not have symptoms
Your self-isolation period starts from the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive with coronavirus plus 10 full days – unless otherwise specified by the app. If you live with someone who is vulnerable, and more at risk from coronavirus then try to arrange for them to stay with family or friends whilst you isolate.
If you get coronavirus symptoms such as a; high temperature, continuous cough, loss/change in sense of smell or taste whilst self-isolating then get a test as soon as possible. You can order home test kits to avoid travelling whilst isolating here. If you do have coronavirus symptoms and get a test, then those living with you must also now self-isolate until you have been tested and received your result.
What happens if my test result is negative?
Even if your test is negative you must continue to self-isolate for the remaining 10-day period. This is because symptoms could develop at any point in the 10-day period. So, even if you test negative initially, you could get coronavirus symptoms later during your isolation.
If your test does come back negative, then those you live can stop self-isolating if they themselves do not have symptoms.
What happens if my test result is positive?
If you test positive, then your 10-day isolation period restarts from the day after your symptoms started. So, this means you will end up self-isolating for longer than 10 days.
Anyone that you live with must self-isolate for 10 days from the day your symptoms started.
This advice has been taken from the NHS website.
