Q. What is the latest guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19)? I saw it had changed recently

A. The most important symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of any of the following: a new continuous cough; a high temperature; a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia).

For most people, COVID-19 will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above you must stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19.

The main message is that if you have symptoms of COVID-19, however mild, OR you have received a positive COVID-19 test result, the clear medical advice is to immediately self-isolate at home for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started or 14 days ideally.

The most recent change is that this used to be seven days.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testing to arrange.

Consider alerting people who you do not live with and have had close contact within the last 48 hours to let them know you have symptoms of COVID-19.

Following a positive test result, you will receive a request by text, email or phone to log into the NHS Test and Trace service website and provide information about recent close contacts.

After 10 days, or longer if you still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste, you must continue to self-isolate until you feel better.

You do not need to self-isolate after 10 days if you only have a cough or loss of sense of smell or taste, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. If you feel you need advice please call 111.

Q. What about other people in my household?

If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of COVID-19, then you must stay at home for at least 10 days.

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 household became ill.

Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection that people in your household could pass on to others in the community.

If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must stay at home for at least seven days from when their symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in their original 14-day isolation period.

If you have symptoms, you should stay as far away from other members of your household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you continue to share a household.

Reduce the spread of infection in your home by washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser, and cover coughs and sneezes.

If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after several days, then use the NHS 111 online COVID-19 service.

If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

If you develop new COVID-19 symptoms at any point after ending your first period of isolation (self or household) then you must follow the same guidance on self-isolation again.

If you develop symptoms you may wish to alert the people who you do not live with and that you have had close contact with over the last 48 hours to let them know that you might have COVID-19 but are waiting for a test result. At this stage, those people should not self-isolate. Alerting those that you have been in contact with means they can take extra care in practising social distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene. They can also be more alert to any symptoms they might develop.