Play your part

We have all made sacrifices to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the communities we live in.

Washing your hands, covering your face, and making space aren't sacrifices but simple and effective ways to reducing risk and helping stop the spread of the virus to yourself, family and friends.

Preventing the spread

COVID-19 exists in the liquid droplets you breathe into the air. This is how it spreads, through breathing in infected liquid droplets from the air around you and touching surfaces where the droplets have landed. This is why it's important, if you have tested positive or are identified as a close contact, you must isolate to stop the spread.

If you're asymptomatic, you don't have symptoms. Therefore you won't know you're carrying the virus but could still be mixing with your bubble and be out and about around other people, passing the virus on without knowing. This is why the basics of hands, face and space are so important.

Further information

• Visit prevention and health advice for more information on how and why washing hands, covering your face and creating space are key to preventing the spread.

The importance of testing

Got symptoms? Get tested.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 - new continuous cough, high temperature, loss or change to taste and/or smell - you must get a test. There are testing sites in Kirklees specifically for people who have symptoms available to book now. If you can't get to a testing site you can order a home testing kit.

Further information

• Play your part and get a test. Read mass community testing: getting a test if you don't have symptoms to find out what to do.
• Or book a test if you have symptoms by visiting Test and Trace: getting a test if you have symptoms

Isolating effectively

Isolating when you have symptoms, test positive or are identified as a close contact, simply put, breaks the chain of the virus and stops it spreading further.

You must isolate for 10 days:

• if you test positive
• if you are identified as a close contact regardless of whether you test negative
• if you have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace

People who have COVID-19 can infect others up to 2 days before symptoms start, and for up to 10 days after. People who are a contact of someone with the virus are at higher risk of developing COVID-19 in the next 10 days. This is why the timeframes are important.

Play your part - isolate.

Further information

• Visit self-isolation if you have been told to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace.

Long term effects of coronavirus (Long COVID)

Most people will make a full recovery after contracting coronavirus but for some, COVID-19 will have serious long term effects.

Commonly known as Long COVID or Post-COVID Syndrome, you could be left with debilitating physical and/or mental ill health issues. You may quickly recover from the initial virus, but your mind and body could take months to fully recover from the lasting impact.

Don't risk your health or the health of others.

Play your part. Follow the guidelines.

Further information

• Visit COVID-19 long term effects to find out about symptoms and support for recovery.

Protecting loved ones

Family and friends are precious and it's important to realise that even though you may not be showing symptoms yourself, you could unknowingly infect someone else.

We need to protect loved ones, especially if they are elderly or clinically extremely vulnerable.

If not for yourself, do it for them. Play your part, follow the guidelines.

Further information

• Read COVID-19 guidance for vulnerable people for more information.

Laws around COVID

You must abide by the local and national restrictions, failing to do so is against the law. Under the new lockdown law, you must stay at home unless you have a reasonable excuse to be outside.

We must all play out part in bringing down the infection rate in Kirklees. If you know of someone breaching the local restrictions and by doing so, increasing the risk of spreading the virus you should report them to the police.

Action will be taken against those who are not playing their part.

Those who breach the restrictions can be given a fixed penalty notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. Anyone who holds an illegal gathering of over 30 people can be issued with fines of £10,000.

If businesses fail to comply with these restrictions, they can face fines of up to £10,000, prosecution or closure.

Further information

• For more information on the restrictions, read COVID-19 restrictions in Kirklees


• If you need to report an incident, report a COVID-19 incident


• To report a Kirklees business that is breaching the regulations please email: Email covid-secure.enquiries@kirklees.gov.uk