What to do if someone shows Covid symptoms or tests positive for Covid:
What is self-isolation?
Self-isolation is when you do not leave your home because you have or might have coronavirus (COVID-19).
When to self-isolate
Self-isolate immediately if:
- you have any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste)
- you’ve tested positive for coronavirus – this means you have coronavirus
- you live with someone who has symptoms or tested positive
- someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
- you’re told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app
- you arrive in the UK from a country with a high coronavirus risk
How long to self-isolate
If you have symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus, you’ll usually need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.
You’ll usually need to self-isolate for 14 days if:
- someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive
- someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
- you’ve been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
When to get a test
Get a test as soon as possible if you have any symptoms of coronavirus.
The symptoms are:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
The test needs to be done in the first 8 days of having symptoms.
All the above information can be found on the NHS website here – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/
Positive test result
A positive result means you had coronavirus when the test was done.
If your test is positive, you must self-isolate immediately.
- If you had a test because you had symptoms, keep self-isolating for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started.
- If you had a test but have not had symptoms, self-isolate for 10 days from when you had the test.
- Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, must self-isolate for 14 days from when you start self-isolating.
Negative test result
A negative result means the test did not find coronavirus.
You do not need to self-isolate if your test is negative, as long as:
- everyone you live with who has symptoms tests negative
- everyone in your support bubble who has symptoms tests negative
- you were not told to self-isolate for 14 days by NHS Test and Trace
- you feel well – if you feel unwell, stay at home until you’re feeling better
All the above information can be found on the NHS website here – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/what-your-test-result-means/
NHS Track and Trace
- if you develop symptoms, you must continue to follow the rules to self-isolate with other members of your household and get a test to find out if you have coronavirus
- if you test positive for coronavirus, you must share information promptly and accurately about your recent contacts through NHS Test and Trace to help us alert other people who may need to self-isolate
- if you have had close recent contact with someone who has coronavirus, you must self-isolate if NHS Test and Trace advises you to do so
For more details on the NHS Test and Trace and how it works please use this link – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works
Our Advice
If someone develops symptoms they must remove themselves from activity and try and get a test. The other people in their group / bubble etc. do not have to start any isolation until the person returns a positive test (but should stay vigilant). They will then enter a 14 day period. This should also include close contacts from the 48 hours before the person showed symptoms. If the person returns a negative test they can resume normal activity. A close contact is someone you are 2m from for 15 minutes. If swimmers are training for 60/90 minutes can we be sure that over this period they are 2m or more away from everyone in their lane at all times. This will be why clubs must have a risk assessment and plans in place.
The Swim England procedure to follow is:
Swimmers in the bubble of a person testing positive for coronavirus must isolate; so the number of people isolating will depend on the numbers in your bubbles. But if your bubbles are done by lane and not squad, then only the people in the positive persons bubble/lane would be expected to isolate. So within a lane of 6, only that lane of 6 would isolate, if you have 3 swimmers starting at opposite ends then only the 3 at one end in contact with the positive swimmer would need to isolate. This will differ if clubs are working in squad bubbles and swimmers are moving around lanes during a session.
Please read our Return to Pools Guidance here – https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/pool-return-guidance-documents/
Please read our Swim England/Institute of Swimming Coronavirus (Covid-19) FAQs here – https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/coronavirus-faqs-answered/
If you have a question that is not answered above please do email [email protected]
Our advice is ever changing so please keep an eye on the Return to Pools Guidance documents and the Government and NHS websites as they can be updated at any point.
Published 23/10/2020