Anyone with symptoms should be tested, wherever possible. People who do not have symptoms but have had close contact with someone who is, or may be, infected may also consider testing – contact your local health guidelines and follow their guidance.

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which spreads between people, mainly when an infected person is in close contact with another person.

The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe heavily. These liquid particles are different sizes, ranging from larger ‘respiratory droplets’ to smaller ‘aerosols’.

There are a number of precautions that can prevent the spread of COVID-19 to other people in the house:

The ill person should stay in a separate room. If this is not possible, then keep at least a 1-metre distance from them. The sick person and anyone else in the same room should wear a medical mask.
Provide good ventilation in the room of the ill person and shared spaces, and open windows if possible and safe to do so. See our Q&A on ventilation.
The ill person should wear a medical mask as much as possible, in particular when not alone in the room and when at least a 1-metre distance from others cannot be maintained.
Visitors should not be allowed in the home.
Limit the number of caregivers to one person with no underlying conditions, if possible.
Caregivers and household members should wear a medical mask while in the same room with an ill person, not touch their mask or face during use, discard the mask after leaving the room, and wash their hands afterward.
The ill person should have dedicated dishes, cups, eating utensils, towels and bed linens. They should be washed with soap and water, and not shared.
Frequently touched surfaces by the ill person should be cleaned and disinfected at least daily.
Everyone in the household should wash their hands with soap and water regularly, especially:
after coughing or sneezing
before during and after you prepare food
before eating
after using the toilet
before and after caring for the ill person
when hands are visibly dirty
A cough or sneeze should be covered with a flexed elbow or a disposable tissue that is discarded immediately after use.
The waste from the ill person should be packed in strong closed bags before disposal.

In non-health care settings, sodium hypochlorite (bleach / chlorine) may be used at a recommended concentration of 0.1% or 1,000ppm (1 part of 5% strength household bleach to 49 parts of water). Alcohol at 70-90% can also be used for surface disinfection. Surfaces must be cleaned with water and soap or a detergent first to remove dirt, followed by disinfection. Cleaning should always start from the least soiled (cleanest) area to the most soiled (dirtiest) area in order to not spread the dirty to areas that are less soiled.

Thorough hand hygiene: washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand gel, should be performed before touching surfaces, items, pets, and people within the household environment.

There is no evidence to date of viruses that cause respiratory illnesses being transmitted via food or food packaging. Coronaviruses cannot multiply in food; they need an animal or human host to multiply.

The COVID-19 virus is generally thought to be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. Currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of the COVID-19 virus associated with food.

Before preparing or eating food it is important to always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 40-60 seconds