As additional COVID-19 testing and enhanced contact tracing get underway in Calderdale, the Council is reminding people that support is available if they need to self-isolate.
One of five big things we can all do to protect ourselves and others is to self-isolate (stay at home) if we test positive for COVID-19 or are a contact of someone who has tested positive.
Self-isolation is when you do not leave your home because you have (or could have) COVID-19. This is important because it breaks the chain of infection between people. The virus can be passed on to others, including those who are vulnerable to very serious illness or death, even if you have no symptoms.
It is important to make plans to enable you and / or your family to be able to self-isolate, by thinking about how you will get essential food and other supplies, who can walk your dog, who can take your children to school. If you are unable to get help from family or friends with these everyday tasks, you can request support at www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/help/request-support or by calling Calderdale Council on 01422 392890.
If you provide care for a relative and have to self-isolate, please contact Gateway to Care for support on 01422 393000.
If you need to self-isolate, cannot work from home and will lose income during this period, you may be eligible for a one-off self-isolation payment of £500. The scheme now includes working parents who need to stay at home to look after children who have been asked by school to isolate. To find out more and apply for this payment, and for information about other support available to help you self-isolate, please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/help or call 01422 392890.
Cllr Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council, said:
“As part of the extra testing we’re doing in Calderdale due to increasing COVID-19 rates, we’re asking people in the Park, Todmorden and Warley wards to get tested whether they have symptoms or not. Across the whole borough, as usual, anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms should take a test as soon as possible.
“We know that some people may be concerned about what testing positive and self-isolating might mean for them, and we understand how difficult it can be to stay at home and, in some circumstances, not be able to work for 10 days.
“However, it’s really important to self-isolate when needed. It’s one of the ways we can show our great Calderdale kindness and do our bit to stop COVID-19 spreading to other people in our communities.”
Calderdale’s local contact tracers are helping to spread the word about the support available to self-isolate, and the Council has produced a leaflet giving information and advice to guide people through their self-isolation period. The leaflet is being distributed with COVID-19 PCR testing kits and through a number of schools, businesses and other community venues.
Deborah Harkins, Calderdale Council’s Director of Public Health, said:
“We are seeing an increase in cases of the more transmissible Delta variant (first identified in India) across Calderdale, so it’s vital that we take preventative action now to stop things getting worse.
“Anyone in the borough who tests positive on a Lateral Flow Test needs to self-isolate straight away and take a PCR test within 48 hours. If your PCR test comes back negative, you may stop isolating. If it comes back positive, you must complete your self-isolation period.
“The other big things we can all do in addition to getting tested and self-isolating are to keep our distance and limit mixing with people we don’t live with; wear a face covering where necessary, unless medically exempt; meet others outside where possible, and if not then let the fresh air in; and book our vaccine when we are invited by the NHS.”
For up-to-date and reliable information about COVID-19, use trusted sources such as:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus(external link)