Self-isolation

This guidance may change and people are advised to check often to keep up-to-date with the latest advice.

Mandatory self-isolation

On the Isle of Man it is a legal requirement to complete a mandatory  period of self-isolation for the following persons:

• Any Isle of Man Resident who has arrived on the Isle of Man and been given a Direction Notice requiring 14 days self-isolation
• Any person (Isle of Man Resident or Visitor) who has received a positive COVID-19 test result and has received a Direction Notice to self-isolate for 14 days
• Any close contact (including household members) of a COVID-19 positive individual who has been identified as a high risk contact by the Cabinet Office Contact Tracing Team and received a Direction Notice to self-isolate for 14 days
• Any person arriving on the Isle of Man who has received an Entry Certificate which specifies self-isolation or modified self-isolation for a period set out in the certificate. This includes Key Workers, Compassionate or persons returning from receiving essential medical treatment in the UK etc.

Failure to adhere to the conditions of your self-isolation is an offence under the *Entry Restriction Regulations or the **Potentially Infectious Persons Regulations 

We have published examples of self-isolation direction notices and Entry Certificates to ensure the manner in which you must self-isolate is fully understood which includes the penalty for non-compliance, which may include up to 3 months imprisonment and or a fine up to £10,000.

Guidance for you (in self-isolation) and others in your household

If you are self-isolating in a household with others who are not required to self-isolate you must avoid contact as far as possible.  This means having your own room and remaining in it as far as possible.  You must not share a bedroom with anyone who is not self-isolating.  Your room should be well-ventilated with a window to the outside that can be opened,.  Keep the door closed.

Use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household, if available.  If you have to share a bathroom regular cleaning will be required.  If a separate bathroom is not available, consider drawing up a bathroom rota for washing or bathing.  You should use the facilities last, before thoroughly cleaning the bathroom.  Your should use separate towels from other household members, both for drying yourself after bathing or showering and for hand hygiene purposes.

You should avoid using shared spaces such as the kitchen whilst others are present.  Take your meals back to your room to eat. Use a dishwasher (if available) to clean and dry your used crockery and cutlery.  If this is not possible, wash them by hand using detergent and warm water and dry them thoroughly, using a separate tea towel.

Where only one member of a household has been issued with a direction or Entry certificate that requires self-isolation, it is not a legal requirement for the rest of the household to self-isolate.

If you share your home with a person who is self-isolating there are a number of practical considerations and actions which can be undertaken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection spreading between members of the same household:

Everyone in your household should:

• Wash their hands regularly
• Avoid touching your face
• Clean frequently touched surfaces regularly
• Exclude the person in self-isolation from the common areas of the home

If you have a clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable person living with you:

Where possible you should not live with anyone who is considered clinically vulnerable, it is recommended you move out of your home, stay with friends or other family for the duration of your self-isolation period.

If this is not possible and you have to self-isolate in a household with a clinically vulnerable person you should stay away from them as much as possible – including ensuring that you do not spend time in the same room as them and that at all times a minimum of 2m distance between you and them is maintained.

The clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable person should be supported to take precautions to minimise their contact with others within the household, regardless of whether others have symptoms or not. They should minimise time spent in shared spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas.  Any shared spaces should be well ventilated. 

If they can, clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable people should use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household. If this is not possible, consider drawing up a rota for bathing, with the clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable person using the facilities first. They should use separate towels from the rest of the household, both for drying themselves after bathing or showering and when washing their hands.

If they can, clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable members of the household should have their meals in their own rooms. If you have one, use a dishwasher to clean and dry the family’s used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them using your usual washing up liquid and warm water and dry them thoroughly. If the clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable person is using their own utensils, remember to use a separate tea towel for drying these.

These precautions should be in place in any household that has a clinically vulnerable person in it.  If someone who is self-isolating has to be part of the household it is particularly important to ensure that the precautions are followed.

Laundry

Wash items in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest water setting and dry items completely. Dirty laundry that has been in contact with an unwell person can be washed with other people’s items.

Do not shake dirty laundry, this minimises the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air.

Clean and disinfect anything used for transporting laundry with your usual products, in line with the cleaning guidance above.

Personal waste

Personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin.

Other household waste can be disposed of as normal.

For further details see COVID-19 Guidance for Cleaning in non-healthcare settings.

Guidance for everyone

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus. 

You must self-isolate if you or anyone else in your household have coronavirus symptoms:

• a temperature of more than 37.8C (100F) 

• OR, a new and persistent cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• OR, anosmia – this is the loss of or a change in your normal sense of smell. It can also affect your sense of taste as the two are closely linked

Anyone developing symptoms:

    Must not leave your home for any reason

    Must not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home

    YOU CAN  continue to use your garden, if you have one but you should only use it if you feel well enough and only when other persons from your household are not present

You must then seek clinical advice using the online self-assessment to determine whether you need to call the COVID 111 helpline.

Anyone with symptoms should then self-isolate until they have received a negative test result and received instruction from a clinician to cease isolation when symptoms have resolved.

For further advice see: testing and results.

If the test result is positive, your details will then be passed onto the Public Health Contact Tracing Service so any contacts can be followed up and advised and instructed to commence their own mandatory period of self-isolation..

If your symptoms worsen during self-isolation or are no better after 14 days, contact your GP/MEDS. For a medical emergency dial 999. 

If you live with someone with symptoms of COVID-19:

If you live with someone who is displaying symptoms but who has no recent travel history and is waiting to be swabbed or the results of a test, but you do not have symptoms yourself, then you can go about your normal routine until the result of their test is known. If that person is in mandatory self-isolation as a result of travel then it is recommended that you also self-isolate until the result of the test is known. This will usually be within 24 hours of the swab being taken.

If you develop symptoms you must also then seek clinical advice using the online assessment to determine whether you need to call the COVID 111 helpline.

     You must not leave your home for any reason

     You must not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home

If you test negative for COVID-19, you will be advised by the COVID 111 helpline.

If you are still required to complete a mandatory self-isolation by law under another specific direction notice, even if you have tested negative, you MUST remain in self-isolation. Otherwise you will be advised to end your self-isolation by the COVID 111 helpline.

If the test result is positive, you will be issued by the Cabinet Office – Public Health 111/Contact Tracing Service (on behalf of the Department of Health a Social Care) a self-isolation direction notice which requires you to undertake mandatory self-isolation for 14 days from the on-set of your symptoms.

Your contact details will be passed onto the Public Health Contact Tracing Service so any contacts can be followed up and also issued with a mandatory direction notice to self-isolate for a period of 14 days from the date of their last close contact with you. 

Do not leave your place of residence; stay at home.

Stay-at-home guidance for households: 
current guidelines illustrated

Criteria and guidance applied as of 15/07/2020:

Incubation period = maximum 14 days.

Day 1 is the first day of symptoms in the person who is confirmed to have COVID-19.

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household became ill.

If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you are recommended to stay at home until the symptomatic person has received a negative test result.

If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must contact COVID 111 to arrange testing.  If positive, they will be advised to self-isolate for 14 days from onset of symptoms and will receive a mandatory direction notice to self-isolate as outlined above from the Cabinet Office Public Health 111/Contact Tracing Service, (issued on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care).

(This may be a longer period of self-isolation if the second positive COVID-19 case in the household has already commenced a mandatory self-isolation under an earlier issued direction notice as a close contact of the first COVID-19 positive case in the household).  

If they test negative, but remain within a household with a positive COVID_19 they must continue to self-isolate until completion of the original 14 day period as they will still be under a mandatory self-isolation period as a close contact of a COVID -19 person in the household.

Household members who remain well stay in self-isolation for 14 days due to maximum incubation period, calculated from day 1 of the first symptomatic person in that household.

Household members do not need to restart the clock if other members become symptomatic during the 14 days self-isolation.

If you have tested positive for coronavirus and you have reached the end of your subsequent 14 day isolation period (as a result of the original positive test) then you no longer need to isolate even if other members of your household are symptomatic (and self-isolating).

Whilst you are ill, arrange for all food, medical and other supplies to be delivered to your home and ensure that the delivery driver does not enter your home.

You can still continue to spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

Example Household

      Allowed to go out again

Exiting isolation

When you have completed 14 days’ mandatory self- isolation or received a negative test result following negative test initiated by via 111 having developed COVID-19 symptoms and instruction from a clinician to cease isolation, you can return to normal activities/work.  

Some people will still have a dry cough at that time but so long as you feel well and your temperature is back to normal, you are fine to end isolation. If you still have a temperature, you should remain at home and it should go down over a couple of days.

If your symptoms worsen during self-isolation or are no better after 14 days, contact your GP/MEDS. For a medical emergency dial 999. 

*Entry Regulations refer to the Emergency Powers (Corona Virus)(Entry restrictions) (No 2) (Amendments) (no 3) regulations 2020

**Potentially Infectious Persons Regulations refer to the Emergency  Powers (Potentially Infectious Persons) (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2020