B&NES Council, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust confirmed last Friday that two residents of Bath and North East Somerset have tested positive for coronavirus.

Public Health England is managing the cases according to current guidelines.

Dr Bruce Laurence, Director of Public Health for Bath and North East Somerset, said: “I’d like to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains low and the Council is working with health colleagues to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading and ensure the people of Bath and North East Somerset are protected.”

As per the current advice, the most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves remains washing their hands more often, for at least twenty seconds, with soap and water. Make sure you cough or sneeze into a tissue, put it in a bin and wash your hands. This also helps to protect others, in particular the more vulnerable members of the community such as the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.

Anyone who shows certain symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days, regardless of whether they have travelled to affected areas. People with symptoms should stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for seven days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.

The symptoms are a high temperature and/or a new, continuous cough For the latest information on COVID-19 refer to the NHS COVID-19 pages and the latest guidance for people with confirmed or possible COVID-19.