Health widens advice for travellers

And Guernsey health officials have now widened their advice for travellers.

There have been nine positive cases in the UK, as well as four confirmed cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan. But so far all Guernsey cases have tested negative.

The World Health Organization has declared that the illness is a public health emergency of international concern and the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. However, the risks to individuals in the UK is still low.

Guernsey is advising anyone with flu symptoms who has returned from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, northern Italy, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia to stay indoors and contact Public Health Services on 725241 or, if they feel very unwell, phone 999.

Anyone returning from mainland China – excluding Hong Kong and Macau – Iran, South Korea or parts of Italy affected by the illness should self-isolate, regardless of whether they feel unwell.

Director of Public Health Nicola Brink said: ‘This is for the good of the community, so that we can stop the possible spread of the disease Covid-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2. We appreciate your help and support in trying to minimise the spread of any infection in the Bailiwick.’

The illness is believed to incubate for between three and 14 days.

In the UK, Cransley School in Northwich, Cheshire, is closing for a week after a school ski trip returned from Italy. They had been visiting Bormio on the northern Italian border and some pupils were showing flu-like symptoms.

While Public Health England’s advice was that the school should stay open to other pupils, the school decided to close and conduct a deep clean instead to minimise any risk of infection.

n Further information on self-isolation can be found on www.gov.gg/coronavirus.

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