Advice for parents/carers about Coronavirus and travel abroad this half term

26 Feb 2020

Department for Education

We are continuing to keep you updated on the government’s response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Public Health England advises that the risk to individuals in the UK remains low.

Advice for those who have travelled recently

Yesterday, the Chief Medical Advisor for England, Chris Whitty updated advice for travellers returning to the UK from specific areas affected by COVID-19, which you can find at:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Please share this guidance with your staff and cascade as appropriate.

If you have returned from the following specific areas since 19th February, you should call NHS 111 and stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have symptoms:

· Iran

· Specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy (see link to maps below)

· Special care zones in South Korea (see link to maps below)

· Hubei province (returned in the past 14 days – see link to maps below)

If you have returned from the following areas since 19 February and develop symptoms, however mild, you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately and call NHS 111:

· Northern Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini – see link to maps below)

· Vietnam

· Cambodia

· Laos

· Myanmar

If you have a cough, or fever or shortness of breath and have visited any of the following areas in the last 14 days, stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of your recent travel:

· China, apart from Hubei province (see link to maps below)

· Thailand

· Japan

· Republic of Korea, apart from special care zones (see link to maps below)

· Hong Kong

· Taiwan

· Singapore

· Malaysia

· Macau

Maps showing affected regions of China, Republic of Korea and Italy

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas

Advice for those who have travelled recently in a group, such as a school trip

There is no need to manage returning groups any differently. Pupils, students and staff returning from trips to the countries specified above should follow the same advice.

Where to find the latest information

Public Health England blog:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/

Guidance for educational settings
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19

14 Feb 2020

Please find below information from the Royal Borough of Greenwich which we have been asked to circulate.

Today (13 February) the ninth case of Covid-19, the official name for the new coronavirus virus, has been confirmed in UK.

The risk of individuals getting Covid-19 in the UK remains low with the UK health system extremely well prepared to support anyone affected and to minimise the risk of outbreaks.

What action you and your family should take to help prevent the spread of Covid-19

A UK-wide campaign provides advice on what to do to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by taking some simple steps to ensure good hygiene. This includes:

• Always carry tissues and use them to catch coughs and sneezes, and bin the tissues.
• Wash hands with soap and water, or use sanitiser gel, to kill germs.

For further information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Advice for travellers

You may be planning to travel abroad this half term to countries where there is a higher risk of spread of the virus. The countries currently reported affected are: China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau.

Public Health England has issued advice for those people wishing to travel to affected countries: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public#advice-for-travellers

For further advice for travelling abroad visit: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Recently travelled?

Call 111 now if you have been to:

• Wuhan or Hubei Province in China in the last 14 days (even if you do not have symptoms).
• Other parts of China, including Macau and Hong Kong, in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it's mild).
• Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Republic of Korea or Malaysia in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it's mild).

In addition, call 111 if you have been in close contact with someone with confirmed Covid-19, if you have travelled recently or if you have any typical symptoms. These include fever and a cough that may progress to pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Do not go to a GP surgery or hospital. Call 111, stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people. We need everyone’s help to reduce the spread of the virus.