Lots of people in our communities are doing their bit to support others at this time.

The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

• Full guidance on staying at home and away from others can be found on gov.uk

You should only leave the house for one of four reasons, and one of these is to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. Even when you are doing this, you need to do so safely. You should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres (6 feet) apart from anyone outside of your household.

• Full guidance on helping others and staying safe is on gov.uk.

Can I help?

You can only provide support to people who are in isolation if you fulfill all of the conditions below:

• You are well and have no symptoms like a cough or high temperature and nobody in your household does
• You are under 70
• You are not pregnant
• You do not have any long-term health conditions that make you vulnerable to coronavirus.

Who can I help?

You can help households who are isolating. This could include friends and family members as well as your neighbours.

If you want to help in your local community, but don’t know how, further information can be found in the details below.

Always remember, you should only provide support in person where it is essential for the health or care of a vulnerable person.

How do I keep myself and others safe?

When we reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, we will reduce the spread of the infection and save lives. This remains the case when you are helping others.

You should not go inside the homes of anyone you do not live with, especially vulnerable people or people who believe they may be infected and are isolating themselves. Breaking these rules could put you at risk of infection, or risk spreading it to others.

If you are picking things up for others, try to limit the amount of time you spend outside of your home by picking up essential items for them when you do your own shopping or collect their medicines during the same trip.

You should stay 2m or six feet away from anyone you do not live with at all times. Do not share a car journey with them.

You should also regularly wash your hands with soapy water for at least 20 seconds.

If you have offered to help other people, please do not place yourself in positions where you may feel unsafe, for instance helping late at night.

You must also always adhere to our advice on how to stay safe.

If you or someone in your household has shown symptoms, or if you are more vulnerable to coronavirus yourself, then you must stay home. You still play an important role but will need to do this from home.

Find out more at gov.uk.