Guidance Guidance for those who provide unpaid care to friends or family
If you or the person you care for has symptoms
If the person you care for has symptoms
The person you care for has symptoms, and you are not in a clinically
‘vulnerable group’ or clinically ‘extremely vulnerable group’ with increased
risk of severe illness
If someone in your household has symptoms you should follow the Stay at home
guidance which states that if you live alone and you have symptoms of
COVID-19, however mild, you should stay at home for 7 days from when your
symptoms started or until you are better, whichever is the longer.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have
symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, or until your
symptoms have gone, but all other household members who remain well 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. For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms,
they need to stay at home for 7 days from when their symptoms appeared – or
until their symptoms have gone, whichever is the longer – regardless of what
day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.
However, we appreciate following the Stay at Home guidance may not be easy to
achieve where you provide close contact care, such as washing and bathing, for
a spouse or relative.
If you do not fall into the clinically ‘vulnerable group’ or the clinically
‘extremely vulnerable group’ you can continue to provide care. You should
review the above guidelines to take measures to protect yourself and others in
the household as best you can by following advice on hygiene and distancing
where possible.
Information on cleaning and hygiene when caring for someone with symptoms
The Stay at home
guidance provides information on washing your hands, cleaning and disposing
of waste, and cleaning laundry, as well as other information for those living
with a vulnerable person.
The person you care for has symptoms and you are in a clinically
‘vulnerable group’ (see above)
If someone in your household has symptoms you should follow the Stay at home
guidance which states that if you live alone and you have symptoms of
COVID-19, however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms
started.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have
symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other
household members who remain well 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. For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms,
they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared,
regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.
You should also review the Guidance on social distancing for everyone in the
UK and protecting older people and vulnerable
adults for information about those people who
are considered at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus
(COVID-19). If you are within this group, you should be particularly stringent
in following social distancing measures set out in the guidance.
However, we appreciate this may not be easy to achieve where you provide close
contact care for a spouse or relative such as washing and bathing.
Where possible ask friends and family who can support you in providing care.
You should distance yourself from the person you care for as much as possible
and follow the above guidance.
You can find out about local carer organisations at Carers
UK or
through your local authority.
The person you care for has symptoms and you are in a clinically
‘extremely vulnerable group’ (see above)
As per the guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable
groups, you should
strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Where possible, ask friends and family who can support you in providing care
for their help. You should distance yourself from the person you care for as
much as possible and follow the above guidance.
If you cannot organise alternative care you can contact your local
authority or health care
provider. If you do not know how to do
this you can contact NHS 111. It may also be helpful to contact your local
carers support organisation. You can find out about local carer organisations
at Carers UK.