For people living in houses they share with others, the government has offered advice for reducing the risk of infection
The UK government has published advice on how to self-isolate with coronavirus if you live with other people.
Their official advice includes staying in a well-ventilated room with a window open as much as possible and the door closed. If this is not possible, they recommend keeping a minimum of ‘2 metres (3 steps)’ away from others at all times.
The advice stresses the importance of others in the household following the previously released advice concerning regular washing of hands, avoiding the touching of faces, and the cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
Should any member of the household show symptoms and require self-isolation – all other members of the household should also engage in a two-week isolation
For communal spaces in a shared house, they advise to ‘minimise the time’ spent in these areas, including kitchens and bathrooms, and to ensure the use of separate towels from housemates. They say that the kitchen should be avoided altogether when others are present, and that meals should be eaten in a separate room, while you should be sure to clean shared bathrooms yourself after use.
The government also says that they ‘understand that it will be difficult for some to separate themselves from others at home,’ but stress that ‘you should do your very best to follow this guidance and everyone in your household should regularly wash their hands, avoid touching their face and clean frequently touched surfaces.’
On 16th March, the Prime Minister issued an update on the government advice for those in shared accommodation. Should any member of the household show symptoms and require self-isolation – all other members of the household should also engage in a two-week isolation in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Government website states that: ‘If you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
‘It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.’
More information on the government health advice can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance#history
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