DCC and Government Update – How to live safely with COVID-19

The government has published important advice for people with symptoms of respiratory infections, such as COVID-19; people with a positive COVID-19 test result and their contacts; and advice on safer behaviours for everyone.

As April started, so did a new phase of living with COVID-19, where the virus will be managed like other respiratory illnesses. But the pandemic is not over, and how COVID-19 will develop over time remains uncertain, so the Government is stating that everyone still has a part to play in helping keep ourselves and each other safe and protected.

Respiratory infections can spread easily between people, so it’s important to be aware of the symptoms so you can take action to reduce the risk of spreading your infection to others. Symptoms of COVID-19, flu and common respiratory infections include:

• continuous cough
• high temperature, fever or chills
• loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
• shortness of breath
• unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
• muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
• not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
• headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
• sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
• diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick

People who are at higher risk from COVID-19 and other respiratory infections include:

• older people
• those who are pregnant
• those who are unvaccinated
• people of any age whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness
• people of any age with certain long-term conditions

Please remember that you will not always know whether someone you come into contact with outside your home is at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from a respiratory infection. They could be strangers (for example, people you sit next to on public transport) or people you may have regular contact with (for example, friends and work colleagues).

This means it is important to follow the guidance to reduce the spread of infection and help to keep others safe.

The guidance states that it is particularly important that a person with symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, avoids close contact with people whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness. If a person has tested positive for COVID-19 they should avoid those people who are at higher risk of serious illness for a 10-day period.

Anyone who needs to leave their home whilst they have symptoms of a respiratory infection such as COVID-19, or within 5 days following the day of their positive test, should take important precautions to minimise the chance of passing on their infection. Such precautions could include:

• wearing a well-fitting face covering or a face mask
• avoiding crowded or enclosed spaces such as public transport, large social gatherings and enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
• exercising outdoors and away from others
• always remembering good hand and respiratory hygiene

Reducing the risks of spreading infection

Guidance also sets out actions for reducing the risks of spreading infection within the home, where someone has tested positive, or has symptoms of infection, and provides advice for those living in the home who will be close contacts. This is to help reduce the risk of them passing on infection.

For the wider population who don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, or other respiratory infection or a positive COVID-19 test, UKHSA advises some important and sensible public health behaviours that can help to reduce the spread of infections and protect those around them. These include getting vaccinated, ventilating indoor spaces, wearing a face covering or mask in certain situations and keeping up good hand and respiratory hygiene – such as covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Recent evidence on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron and wearing face coverings has previously been published by UKH