ANYONE in the Dudley borough who tests positive for COVID-19 will now be contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service which aims to help contain and control the spread of coronavirus.

People will be asked to share any interactions they have had with others - household members, people they have been in direct contact with, or anyone they have been within two metres of for more than 15 minutes.

Those identified as having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive must stay at home for 14 days, even if they are not displaying symptoms, to try to stop the spread of the virus.

Those in isolation developing symptoms should book a test online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call119. If the test is positive, they must stay at home for seven days or until symptoms have passed. If the test is negative, they must still complete the 14-day isolation period.

Members of their household will not have to stay at home unless the person identified becomes symptomatic, at which point they must also self-isolate for 14 days to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.

Bal Kaur, director of Public Health, said: "NHS Test and Trace is the next stage in the fight against coronavirus.

"The Government hopes it will enable us to replace national lockdowns with individual isolation or, if necessary, more local lockdowns where there are outbreaks.

"It’s really important that everyone in the borough understands how the scheme works, and what to do if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace because they have either tested positive for coronavirus, or they have been in close contact with someone else who has.

"Reducing our day-to-day contact with other people still remains the best way to stop the spread of coronavirus, and to help save lives, and so we also need to keep on following the Government’s social distancing guidance – for the safety of everyone."

Dr David Hegarty, clinical chairman of Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group, urged anyone developing coronavirus symptoms to contact the NHS Test and Trace service as soon as possible so they can be tested to see if they have the virus.

He said: "The service will allow us to trace the spread of the virus and isolate new infections and play a vital role in giving us early warning if the virus is increasing again locally.

"The Government says the NHS Test and Trace service will have the capacity to trace the contacts of 10,000 people who test positive for coronavirus per day and can be scaled up if needed.

"The Government has also expanded testing to children aged under five, meaning anyone with symptoms of coronavirus – a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a change in their sense of smell or taste – can now get tested.

"Meanwhile, social distancing measures remain in place."

The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available online at gov.uk/coronavirus and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at dudley.gov.uk/coronavirus and there’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS at nhs.uk/coronavirus but the main guidelines that people should adhere to are:

Stay at home as much as possible

Work from home if possible

Limit contact with other people

Keep your distance if you go out

Wash hands regularly

Stay at home and self-isolate if you or anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus.