Keep going - our COVID-19 rates are coming down!

Everyone is Stockton-on-Tees has been playing their part to help stop the spread of coronavirus and the latest data shows our cases are falling!

We need to keep going as COVID-19 really is serious – it is real, it does make people poorly, it can make you seriously ill for a long time, it can kill you!

We need everyone to play their part and protect themselves, their loved ones and to protect Stockton-on-Tees.

Remember:

1. Hands – Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
2. Face – Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. Please dispose of face coverings responsibly so our streets don’t become littered with used face masks.
3. Space – Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors). This includes informal situations like going for a walk or collecting children from school or attending sports, we need to keep our social distance to protect everyone.
4. Protect yourself – If you are eligible for a flu vaccine this winter, it’s now more important than ever to get it. If you are a parent/carer and your child is eligible for a flu vaccination please make sure they get the vaccination.

The symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

If you have these symptoms – no matter how mild – book a test online or by calling 119, it is important that you do this as soon as possible.

It is important to continue to self-isolate until you get the test results.

Self-isolate if you’re told to

If you are informed you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 you can expect a call from NHS Test and Trace please co-operate with them and give them accurate information.

And if they tell you to self-isolate then you must stay at home for 14 days from the day you were last in contact with the infected person. This applies even if you have had a negative test.

It’s important that you and everyone in your household stays at home to self-isolate and that you don’t leave the house even to pop out to the shops or for exercise.

You can find out about testing and self-isolating at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

Here is a range of advice to prepare for self-isolation