Latest update to Government guidance from Hampshire County Council
At the Prime Minister’s press conference this evening, the following new social- distancing measures have been introduced:
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Households will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days if an individual within that household has either a new, continuous cough or a high temperature
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Everyone should stop non-essential contact with others, which includes homeworking where possible, and avoiding crowded places such as pubs, clubs and theatres etc. Visiting individuals in care homes is also included within this advice
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People over 70, those who would normally be advised to have a flu vaccination and pregnant women in particular are strongly advised to avoid all unnecessary social contact with other people
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Mass gatherings (for example sports events) will no longer be supported by emergency workers
Further social distancing measures
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By this coming weekend, those with the most serious health conditions are being asked to ensure they are largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks
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School closures are not being implemented at this point, however in the future other measures like this may be necessary.
National guidance
Today, Public Health England has published new guidance for:
- Educational settings
- Prisons and other prescribed places of detention
- Hostels or day centres with people rough sleeping - Shipping and sea-ports
- Staff in the transport sector
UK Government Strategy for Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The Government’s strategy for dealing with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak is to delay the onset of the peak of the disease until the summer months, when the NHS is under less pressure, and to spread the peak of the epidemic to make treatment more manageable. This will be done by introducing the right measures at appropriate points during the outbreak.
Hampshire County Council’s approach to responding to the Coronavirus (Covid- 19) outbreak has been in line with official guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England and has therefore followed the Government’s strategy for dealing with the virus.
The graph below shows how the strategy to push the peak of the outbreak to summer to improve the NHS’ capacity to deal with the virus.
