Dear Parents and Carers,

Please find below information received from the borough which we have been asked to circulate.

You should not be unduly worried about the possibility of your children catching the Coronavirus.

There is no reason why your children should not continue to attend their early years, school or further education setting as normal.

For information on COVID19 please see the NHS website:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Returning (or visitors) from affected areas

Advice if you have travelled to or transited through Category 1 and Category 2 countries/areas in the last 14 days^

Category 1 countries/areas	Category 2 countries/areas
Wuhan city and Hubei Province (China) (see map)	Cambodia	Malaysia
Iran^	China*	Myanmar
Daegu or Cheongdo (South Korea) (see map)^	Hong Kong	South Korea^*
Any Italian town under containment measures (see map)^	Italy: north^* (see map)	Singapore
	Japan	Taiwan
	Laos	Thailand
	Macao	Vietnam

^The guidance for Italy, Iran, and Daegu or Cheongdo (South Korea) applies to individuals who returned from these specific areas on or after 19 February 2020.

*Except areas of the country specifically referred to in Category 1.

Category 1 countries/areas:

If you are well, and have returned from these specific areas since 19 February 2020, or have returned from Hubei province China in the past 14 days, follow the self-isolation advice from PHE. Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with the flu.

Your family do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities. Call NHS 111 (or regional contacts below) to inform them of your recent travel to the area.

If you become unwell you should follow the self-isolation advice from PHE and immediately call:

NHS 111 (England and Wales)

Public Health Agency 0300 200 7885 (Northern Ireland)

Your GP or NHS24 111 (Scotland)

Category 2 countries/areas:

If you are well, you do not need to self-isolate. Your family do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities.

However, if you become unwell within 14 days after return from these countries/areas you should follow the self-isolation advice from PHE and immediately call:

NHS 111 (England and Wales)

Public Health Agency 0300 200 7885 (Northern Ireland)

Your GP or NHS24 111 (Scotland)

If you or your children are planning to travel in the coming month

We recognise that some families or children may be planning to travel abroad to countries where there is a higher risk of transmission.   The affected countries are: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand. Northern Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini),  Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar.  Travellers currently in countries that are reporting cases of COVID-19 should follow local public health advice. UK travellers should also ensure they are up to date with the latest advice from FCO and PHE.

Please refer to https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/498/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-update for the latest travel advice.

Public Health England has also issued general advice for members of the public https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public#advice-for-travellers

What does self isolation mean?

Self isolation means that the person should stay at home and isolate themselves within the home unless there is a need for medical attention.  This advice is a precautionary measure to minimise the spread of the virus within the community.   The advice from Public Health England on self isolation can be found here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-self-isolation-for-patients-undergoing-testing/advice-sheet-home-isolation

What actions can everyone take

A UK wide campaign has been launched to provide clear advice on how to slow the spread of Coronavirus.

Please help to support the campaign which promotes basic hygiene practices to stem the spread of viruses: these include regularly washing hands with soap and water and always sneezing or coughing into a tissue and then disposing of it.  

Further information is available from https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/ which is updated regularly.

Regards

Carole Furlong

Director of Public Health