Dealing with Corona Virus 9th March 2020. The Wessex Learning Trust has issued the following statement:

Dealing with Corona Virus

9th March 2020 - The Wessex Learning Trust has issued the following statement

The Trust are taking seriously the risk of this virus and wish to reassure its parents, learners and communities that action is being taken and contingency plans are in place.

• We have issued hygiene instructions to our staff and given our learners advice on how to avoid catching or spreading the virus
• We have issued instructions to keep cleaning common areas of where infection can be passed on, eg door handles etc
• We are aware of those learners and staff with underlying health factors and we will be monitoring and risk assessing the situation for them in the forthcoming weeks
• If you are a parent or carer that has recently visited one of the high risk areas please can you let us know via your school.  We also would advise not travelling to such areas in the future, including in the Easter holidays, until the UK government tell us otherwise
• Contingency plans are in place for a spread of the virus in our Trust schools, including the taking of examinations.  We will be following Government advice as it is issued

How to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• always wash your hands when you get home or into school
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards
• Avoid putting your hands directly in your mouth and eyes
• try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

• do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

How to self-isolate if you're asked to

If there's a chance you could have coronavirus, you may be asked to stay away from other people.

This means you should:

• stay at home
• not go to school, or work or go to public places
• not use public transport or taxis
• ask friends, family members or delivery services to do errands for you
• Avoid visitors to your home – it's OK for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food
• You may need to do this for up to 14 days to help reduce the possible spread of infection.

Check if you need medical help: Use the 111 coronavirus service

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.

Use this service if:

• you think you might have coronavirus
• in the last 14 days you've been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus – see the coronavirus advice online (gov.uk) for travellers
• you've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus