Can we go on holiday with another family? And other questions

Latest questions

Your questions

How many households can share a self-catered house? And are they allowed to use a shared swimming pool and hot tub? from Joanna McCaul in Rickmansworth, London

If I have been on the vulnerable list, when can I have people in my house to sleep over and can I go to family to sleep over at their house? From Karen Dowling in Birmingham

Why are gyms, leisure centres and other fitness facilities being excluded from this round of restrictions when their links to improved physical and mental health are so obvious? from James Shillaker in Burgess Hill

Can I travel to and stay in my second home? It's not a holiday home, I live in the Midlands, but work in the North East during the week. Travelling is not an option as it would mean an eight or nine-hour round trip every day. From Mark Dunn in Cannock

My daughter is a driving instructor. When will she be able to start teaching her students again? from Valerie in Haslemere

The number of new cases may have fallen to pre-lockdown levels. But the virus is still equally contagious and has the potential to spread exponentially - just as it did before lockdown. So what's changed? from Tomas René in Hastings

Will churches be able to reopen for services from 4 July? from Danny Smith in St Albans

If it is safe enough to go to the cinema why are schools still not allowed to take more than 25% of any year group in? from Lydia in Bath

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Your questions

When will people be allowed to resume physical contact with a loved one in a bubble scenario? I miss my boyfriend of 18 months as we live apart. from Sue in Chester

Can I have my grandson overnight? I am a single grandparent living on the ground floor in my own house, however I have a lodger who lives on the second floor. from Teresa

Coronavirus is an infectious disease discovered in China in December 2019. Its more precise name is Covid-19.

There are actually hundreds of coronaviruses - most of which circulate among animals, including pigs, camels, bats and cats. But there are a few - such as Covid-19 - that infect humans.

Some coronaviruses cause mild to moderate illnesses, such as the common cold. Covid-19 is among those that can lead to more serious illnesses such as pneumonia.

Most infected people will have only mild symptoms - perhaps a fever, aching limbs a cough, and loss of taste or smell - and will recover without special treatment.

But some older people, and those with underlying medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer are at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell.

The NHS has more about symptoms.

When people recover from an infection, their body is left with some memory of how to fight it should they encounter it again. This immunity is not always long-lasting or totally efficient, however, and can decrease over time.

It is unclear, though, if people who have recovered from coronavirus will be able to get it again.

University of Oxford’s Prof Sarah Gilbert, who is working on creating a vaccine for Covid-19, says that it “probably is likely” that an infected person will be able to be reinfected in the future.

The UK government views antibody tests - which can show if a person has had Covid-19 - as central to its plans to end the current lockdown and allow people to return to work.

But the World Health Organization has said that there is no evidence that antibody tests can show that a person has immunity or is protected against reinfection.

Scientists have said that the “incubation period” - the time between catching the virus and starting to show symptoms - is five days on average. However, some people can have symptoms earlier or much later than this.

The World Health Organization advises that the incubation period can last up to 14 days. But some researchers say it may be up to 24 days.

Knowing and understanding the incubation period is very important. It allows doctors and health authorities to introduce more effective ways to control the spread of the virus.

Both viruses are highly contagious.

On average, it's thought people with the coronavirus infect two to three other people, while those with flu pass it on to about one other person.

There are simple steps you can take to stop the spread of flu and coronavirus:

If you have returned from holiday abroad and have to self-isolate in quarantine, you will not automatically qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it's possible you might have to make arrangements with your employer if you cannot work from home.

For four out of five people Covid-19 will be a mild disease, a bit like flu.

Symptoms include [fever, a dry cough or loss of smell and taste(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51048366)

If the virus gets well established in the lungs it can cause breathing difficulties and pneumonia. About one in seven people may need hospital treatment.

Recovery time will depend on how sick you became in the first place. Some people will shrug off the illness quickly, but for others the path to full health could take months, and leave lasting problems.

This is the subject of ongoing research, but little is still known about how many people are carrying the virus without knowing it.

Different studies currently suggest a huge range of possibilities for how many "silent spreaders" there are - ranging from 5% to 80% of cases. That was the conclusion of an analysis by Prof Carl Heneghan of the University of Oxford and colleagues who looked at 21 research projects.

The upshot, they said, was that "there is not a single reliable study to determine the number of asymptomatics". And they said that if the screening for Covid-19 is only carried out on people with symptoms - which has been the main focus of UK testing policy - then cases will be missed, "perhaps a lot of cases".

Some scientists believe that asymptomatic cases may be the main force driving the pandemic, and there have been calls for increased testing to establish how many "silent carriers" there may be.

Diabetics are not included in the list of people at highest risk who should shield at home. However, some may be advised to shield if they suffer from a combination of factors, such as heart disease or obesity, as well as diabetes - which put them at much higher risk of complications.

A third of virus deaths in England from 1 March to 11 May were linked to diabetes, but research suggests the threat for those under 40 with type 1 (insulin-dependent) or type 2 diabetes is still very low.

Age remains the strongest risk factor for becoming severely or fatally ill with coronavirus, say experts.

Diabetes UK advises anyone with diabetes to try their best to manage their condition carefully, keeping their blood sugar in range as much as possible, as well as following social distancing measures.

Asthma UK's advice is to keep taking your daily preventer inhaler (usually brown) as prescribed. This will help cut the risk of an asthma attack being triggered by any respiratory virus, including coronavirus.

Carry your blue reliever inhaler with you every day, in case you feel your asthma symptoms flaring up. If your asthma is getting worse and there is a risk you might have coronavirus, contact the online NHS 111 coronavirus service.

Coronavirus can be more severe in older people and those with pre-existing conditions such as heart and lung illnesses, or diabetes.

There is no evidence that disabled people who are otherwise healthy - and who don't, for instance, have respiratory problems - are at greater risk from coronavirus.

Covid-19 can, in a small number of cases, lead to pneumonia, most notably in people with pre-existing lung conditions.

But as this is a new virus, no-one will have any immunity to it, whether they have previously had pneumonia, or any other form of coronavirus such as Sars.

Wearing masks has become commonplace not just in hospitals but also among the general public.

It presents major challenges for some deaf people who rely on lip-reading to communicate, but who also need to stay safe from catching the virus, especially if in a hospital setting.

The charity Action on Hearing Loss says there are some clinically approved see-through covered face masks that help enable lip-reading. However, they do not provide enough protection against aerosols spread by coronavirus, and wouldn’t be right for health and social care workers to use during this pandemic.

They say it might be worth using a small whiteboard to communicate. There are also some subtitling or captioning apps that may provide some help.

Yes. According to the advice from Public Health England, a scarf or a bandana tied around your head is fine.

The important thing is that it covers both your mouth and your nose – and that you can breathe easily.

Whether you are wearing a scarf or a homemade mask, the advice is that you should continue to maintain other hygiene measures. So wash your hands, or use hand sanitiser before you put your face covering on and off, and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth at all.

Wash the face coverings after each time you use them (for this reason it might be worth avoiding textiles which need special care, such as wool or silk) and keep the used face coverings in a plastic bag until you can wash them.

Quarantining cities and telling people to stay at home may seem extreme, but the alternative is to let the virus spread unrestrained.

There is no vaccine for this new virus, as there is for flu, which makes elderly people and those with underlying health conditions very vulnerable to its effects.

If you’re living with someone who’s self-isolating, you should keep all contact to a minimum and, if possible, not be in the same room together.

The person self-isolating should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window that can be opened, and keep away from other people in the house.

If you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll also need to self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started - this is how long it can take for symptoms to appear.

If you get symptoms, self-isolate for seven days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you're self-isolating for longer than 14 days. If you do not get symptoms, you can stop self-isolating after 14 days.

If you live with your partner, they count as being part of your household. If neither of you is showing coronavirus symptoms and you are already in close contact, having sex won't increase the likelihood of you catching the virus from one another. If one person does have symptoms, they should be self-isolating in a separate room.

Using contraception such as condoms won't alter your risk of catching the virus, as having sex will bring you into close physical contact anyway.

"If you are going to touch each other's genitals it's likely that you will potentially be kissing at the same time - and we know the virus is passed through saliva," Dr Alex George told the BBC's Newsbeat.

"Essentially, any possibility of transfer of coronavirus - from your mouth to your hands, to genitals, to someone else's nose or mouth - increases the risk of passing on coronavirus."

It’s actually difficult to know how many new cases of coronavirus there have been during the lockdown, because until recently, there has been very little testing of the population as a whole (it was mostly just those in hospital and some NHS and care staff who were being tested).

There is also a lag effect with the figures. It takes time for the effects of social distancing to be seen in the daily figures for cases, hospitalisations and then deaths - around three weeks at least - so it may appear as if there are more cases than there currently are. It’s true that some people have been ignoring the rules regarding lockdown. But police chiefs say that compliance is still holding up.

What we do know is that confirmed daily cases of the virus have been on a downward trend since early April, and the rate of infection has dropped significantly. There’s also been a fall in the number of new people being hospitalised, or dying from the virus.

Where there does seem to be a steady rise in the number of cases is in the UK’s care homes. Latest figures suggest that a third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales - and nearly half of those in Scotland and Northern Ireland - take place there.

Pregnant women are being advised by the UK government to stay at home and keep contact with others to a minimum. However, they should attend antenatal clinics as normal.

There is no evidence to suggest that pregnant women are more likely to get coronavirus. But, for a small number of women, being pregnant may change the way their body deals with a severe viral infection.

The government’s chief medical adviser says this is a precautionary measure until scientists find out more about the virus and that "infections and pregnancy are not a good combination in general”.

Mothers pass on protection from infection to their babies through their breast milk.

If your body is producing antibodies to fight the infection, these would be passed on through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding mums should follow the same advice as anyone else over reducing risk - cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough, throw away used tissues straight away and wash hands frequently, while trying to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

This is highly unlikely to happen, according to scientists and vets.

While there are rare cases where an animal has caught the virus from a human, there is no evidence that humans can catch the virus from animals.

It is possible that a pet's fur could become contaminated if an infected person has previously touched or stroked the animal.

But even without the threat of coronavirus, you should always wash your hands with soap and water after handling an animal or its lead, and avoid touching your nose and mouth.

In general, children appear to be relatively unaffected by coronavirus, according to data from China and other countries.

This may be because they are able to shake off the infection or have no symptoms or only very mild ones similar to a cold.

However, children with underlying lung problems, such as asthma, may have to be more careful.

All schools in the UK are currently closed, except for vulnerable pupils or children of key workers.

Yes it is.

Government guidance on staying at home says: "Where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents' homes."

If neither parent nor child is showing symptoms of the virus or self-isolating, children of separated parents are still allowed to stay with either of them.

However, the Family Division of the High Court has said that, in England and Wales, if one parent is worried that moving their child would be going against public health advice, they may "vary the arrangement to one that they consider to be safe", even if the other parent does not agree.

Where this is the case, family courts will expect parents to allow contact by video chat or phone.

It depends on a number of factors.

"Typical" business trips to Germany are not currently permitted except to workers carrying out "essential functions" such as healthcare. A certificate from your employer to that effect will be needed if that is the case.

With the introduction of quarantine restrictions at UK borders, returning to the UK is not as straightforward.

Anyone entering the UK has to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival. There are a number of exemptions to this rule, including UK residents who ordinarily travel overseas at least once a week for work.

People affected by coronavirus will be able to delay their mortgage payments for up to three months.

It is important to bear in mind that any interest and capital repayments which are missed, will be added to the mortgage balance.

This means that any future monthly mortgage bills are likely to be slightly higher.

Energy companies have promised to help you if you have a pre-payment meter. So you may be able to authorise a friend to top up your energy card for you.

You could also ask your supplier to send you a card by post which is already topped up. The government says that if it's urgent the supplier should be able to add credit directly to your account. You should be able to top up online as well.

And you will have to pay back any credit your supplier gives you. So you should contact them to ask about when and how to do this.

If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund to the original form of payment within seven days, although many airlines are struggling to meet that deadline.

Ryanair, for example, says customers who want a cash refund will receive it ''in due course'' as it is dealing with a much higher volume of requests than usual, with fewer staff.

Many airlines are trying to avoid giving refunds and are offering vouchers for another flight or a free re-booking instead.

If the airline later folds, the voucher will probably become invalid. And any rebooking could affect the terms of your travel insurance.

If you’re self-employed, you could be eligible for a taxable grant of up to 80% of your trading profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month, if your livelihood has been affected by the pandemic, and you meet certain conditions.

You must have been self-employed since at least the start of April 2019, and have a trading profit of less than £50,000 a year on average.

Initially, this was a one-off payment designed to cover March, April and May, up to a maximum total of £7,500. In August, applications will open for a "second and final" payment covering 70% of profits, up to a cap of £2,190 a month for another three months (£6,570 in total).

The scheme - which is called the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme - is open to any claimant who makes more than half of their income from self-employment.

The government has said that everyone should work from home if possible, and only go into a workplace if their job "absolutely cannot be done from home".

Your employer has a duty to protect your health and safety. If you or a member of your household have an underlying health condition which increases vulnerability to coronavirus, you could argue that you have a right not to come into work.

If you still do not want to go in, you could ask to take time off as holiday or unexpected leave, but your employer does not have to agree to this.

An employer could bring disciplinary action against an employee who they consider to be refusing to work without a good reason.

Self-employed people who have symptoms or have been told to self-isolate may apply for two benefits - universal credit or employment and support allowance.

Normally, you would be eligible after four days of being ill. However, the government has responded to the spread of coronavirus by saying that companies will temporarily pay SSP from the first day off.

But charities are worried that there is still a five-week delay before universal credit is paid.

Anyone aged 18 or above can apply for universal credit if they live in the UK and are on a low income or out of work.

Students in full-time education aren’t usually eligible for universal credit, but they can make a claim if they do not have any parental support, are responsible for a child or are in a couple with a partner who is eligible for universal credit.

People aged 16 or 17 can also apply for universal credit if they do not have any parental support, are responsible for a child, caring for a disabled person or cannot work.

You can use the government's benefits calculator to find out how much you may be entitled to.

The government advises that people who are self-isolating should work from home wherever possible and be paid as normal.

If they can’t work from home, employers must ensure any self-isolating employee gets sick pay or is allowed to use paid leave days if they prefer.

Employees in self-isolation are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for every day they are in isolation, worth £95.85 per week, as long as they qualify.

However, employers can choose to pay staff their full wages during this period if they wish.

The government says that this plan is still on course.

At the beginning of lockdown, the government promised to provide laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people, so that they would not fall behind in online learning organised by their schools.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told MPs on the Education Select Committee that 200,000 laptops would be delivered, some at the end of May, but most of them in June.

On 9 June Mr Williamson told the House of Commons that 100,000 laptops had been distributed, prioritising children who have social workers, and that the government was on schedule to distribute all the computers over the coming month.

However, he faced criticism from the opposition that the roll-out was taking too long. Labour MP Meg Hillier said that it was “already late for vulnerable pupils, and with no clear plan about catch-up”.

Separate schemes to provide vulnerable children and adults with laptops have been announced in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Although the government has changed its advice on the use of face coverings in public places, it still recommends that face masks or face coverings should not be worn in schools.

It adds that face coverings should not be worn in any circumstances by those who are not able to handle them properly (for example, small children or those with special educational needs or disabilities), as they may “inadvertently increase the risk of transmission”.

Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary care health sciences at the University of Oxford, told the Times Educational Supplement that face coverings could also have a bad effect on the mental health of some children: “If compulsory masking is going to tip some kids into a bad space after weeks of stressful lockdown, we need to balance that risk with the potential benefits.”

Meanwhile, other countries have taken different approaches when reopening schools. In France, for example, face masks are compulsory for teachers and pupils aged 11 and over, but they are not worn in Denmark.

There are no current plans to open schools for most pupils during the summer holidays, but the situation varies across the UK.

In England, some Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children have gone back, but the government has dropped plans for all primary school pupils to return before the summer.

Similarly, some Year 10 and Year 12 students in England will go back from 15 June, but the government has confirmed that secondary schools may not fully reopen until September "at the earliest".

Schools in Wales will reopen from 29 June for all age groups, but only a third of pupils will be in class at any one time. The summer term has been extended by a week to 27 July, and the autumn half-term holiday will be stretched to two weeks.

Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland won’t be returning until after the summer holidays in August.

Across the UK, some vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers have been in school throughout the crisis, including during the Easter holidays, but it is not yet clear whether that provision will continue over the summer break.

Ultimately this is a personal decision, but it echoes what a lot of students are thinking right now.

A recent survey of students applying for undergraduate places found that more than one in five were considering deferring for a year if universities were not going to operate normally.

University campuses have been closed this term by the Covid-19 outbreak and there is no guarantee how far they will open in the autumn. The University of Cambridge has said it will have no face-to-face lectures in the next academic year, and the University of Manchester has said that, to begin with, its lectures will be taking place online only. Other universities are considering a delay to the start of the academic year.

Before you make a firm choice, the higher education watchdog, Office for Students, says your university should give you “absolute clarity” on whether courses will be online, on-campus or a mixture. And if the information isn't available next month it must be provided before clearing in August.

Once you have all the information, you need to weigh up what's important to you. Bear in mind the universities minister says you'll have to pay full fees even if you're learning online - but if you are offered distance learning you could potentially save on accommodation and other living expenses.

Also, if your university can offer a campus experience, access to facilities like libraries, bars and cafes is likely to be limited - so student life could be very different to normal.

The Department for Education has indicated that it is possible for students to get their fees back.

In a statement, it said that if universities are “unable to facilitate adequate online tuition then it would be unacceptable for students to be charged for any additional terms”.

To claim a refund, students first need to complain directly to their university. If that is unsuccessful then students in England or Wales can lodge an appeal with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).

If your university is in Scotland then it’s the SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) and for Northern Ireland, you go to the NIPSO (Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman). Students will need a “completions procedure form” from their university in order to file an appeal.

Most students have gone home to self-isolate, leaving their student properties empty but they still have to pay rent.

If you’re worried about paying rent for an empty student property, first of all check your tenancy agreement. Some contracts will have a “break clause” which will allow you to cancel your lease early if you give your landlord enough notice.

If you don’t have a “break clause”, you can always speak to your landlord and ask for a “reduced payment plan”. This could mean you pay less rent each month.

The Ministry of Justice has not given a date for the resumption of visits. It says the measures are temporary, and that the restrictions will be reviewed at some point, taking into account public health advice.

Prison visits were suspended at the beginning of the lockdown in March. Since then, relatives and friends have had the option of writing to inmates, or sending an email to the prison, which is then printed out and passed on.

As a temporary measure, secure phone handsets have been given to pre-approved prisoners at 55 prisons, allowing them to speak to a small number of pre-authorised contacts.

The Church of England says that it does not expect to resume normal services before the end of the year, although the approach would vary on a regional basis.

The Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, who’s leading the Church’s plans for reopening, says questions remain about various aspects of worship including sharing hymn books, distancing within the church buildings, and Holy Communion.

Research conducted by the Resolution Foundation has found that the coronavirus pandemic could increase youth unemployment by 600,000 this year.

If you’re worried about finding a job you can head to the National Careers Service for advice on how to find job vacancies.

You can also search online for virtual job fairs. This could help you explore different job opportunities and connect with potential employers directly from home.

Experts recommend using lockdown to refresh your CV and also look for any online training opportunities which might put you in a better position when you eventually apply for a job.

People experiencing symptoms will be asked to report this as soon as possible and order a test.

You can either do this via the NHS website or if you do not have access to the internet you can dial 119 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or 0800 028 2816 in Scotland.

If you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive you may be contacted by text message, email or phone.

The only part of the process which will need a smartphone is the contact tracing app. The government now says this is not likely to be working before the winter.

No. The tracers will be interested in anybody who has had close contact with a person who has tested positive.

Close contact means being less than 1m (3ft) from somebody at any point, or between 1m and 2m away for more than 15 minutes.

You shouldn't be that close to a delivery driver.

There is a small potential risk of contamination if the food or packaging has been handled by someone who has tested positive.

Online shopping customers are therefore generally advised to leave packaged goods for 72 hours if possible before handling them, or to spray and wipe plastic or glass containers with diluted bleach.

Unwrapped fresh goods should be washed under running water and left to dry.

The short answer to this is no.

It's true that you don’t have to go into quarantine if you’re returning to the UK from what’s known as the Common Travel Area (CTA) - Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

When the government first announced its plans, there was some speculation that to avoid quarantine, travellers from other countries would be able to fly into an airport in the CTA, and then on to the UK and so avoid having to self-isolate.

However, this loophole (termed by some the "Dublin dodge") has now been closed by the government. Travellers will only be exempt from quarantine if they have been in the CTA for 14 days or more.

You will have to show proof of when you entered the CTA, and how long you have spent there - such as a boarding pass or itinerary - when you enter the UK.

Key workers will not necessarily be exempt.

The government has published a detailed list of who will not need to follow the quarantine rules. Among others, it includes road haulage and freight workers, medical and care professionals providing essential health care, some seasonal agricultural workers, Eurostar and Eurotunnel employees, pilots and aircrew and people working to maintain key infrastructure such as the railways.

It also depends where you are going in the UK - some employees will be exempt from quarantine in England and Wales, but not Scotland.

The government guidance details what you’ll need to show when you enter the UK to prove you are exempt. This differs between categories but typically includes proof of your name and address, the name of your employer and what work you’ll be doing.

Unless your flatmates were travelling with you, they do not need to self-isolate or quarantine with you.

However, you must avoid contact with them and minimise the time you spend in shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas.

You should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window to the outside that can be opened, separate from your flatmates, and if you can, you should use a separate bathroom from them. If you do need to share these facilities, regular cleaning will be required after each person has used them.

Make sure you use separate towels from the other people in your house, both for bathing and showering, and for washing your hands.

Not necessarily.

If you have returned from holiday abroad and have to self-isolate in quarantine, you will not automatically qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it's possible you might have to take the extra time off as annual leave, or else as unpaid leave.

The Department of Work and Pensions says that anyone planning to travel should do so in the knowledge that they will be required to self-isolate on their return.

It adds that employers and staff should discuss and agree any arrangements in advance, and urges employers to take socially responsible decisions.

Meanwhile, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is still advising UK nationals against taking all but essential international travel.