6. Actions undertaken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

People were also asked about the actions they were personally taking to protect themselves and others against the coronavirus (COVID-19). This survey was launched before the Stay at Home measures were introduced, so information has not been collected on compliance with this guidance here, but will follow in subsequent weeks.

Personal hygiene

Almost all adults (99.8%) said they had washed their hands with soap and water to avoid infection in the last seven days. Of those who had washed their hands with soap and water, 89.8% said they had increased the frequency of doing so since the coronavirus pandemic.

Over two-thirds (69.1%) of all adults also said they had tissues to catch coughs and sneezes. Of these, 42.3% said they had increased this activity since the start of the coronavirus pandemic (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Personal hygiene measures undertaken in the last seven days

Great Britain, 20 to 30 March 2020

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Notes:

Respondents asked to select all that apply.

Social distancing

One of the official main messages on stopping the spread of the coronavirus was for people to practice social distancing.

Nearly 9 in 10 of all adults (89.2%) cancelled or postponed plans because of the coronavirus in the past seven days. This included not meeting up with people in a public or personal place. Nearly 53.2% of adults said they have postponed or cancelled taking part in regular activities such as exercise classes or attending places of worship (Figure 4).

Figure 4: In the past seven days, have any of your plans been postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak?

Great Britain, 20 to 30 March 2020

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Notes:

Respondents asked to select all that apply.

Government guidance also advised trying to “shield” older or vulnerable people. Among all adults, 83.3% said they had avoided contact with older people or other vulnerable people because of the coronavirus pandemic in the last seven days. Of these, 13.4% said they had avoided contact with someone they were caring for.

Social distancing has also impacted on people’s work life. For those who had said they were employed or self-employed, over 4 in 10 (42.9%) of all adults said they had worked from home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For those with an underlying health condition, 38.2% said they were working from home. It is not known whether those who said they were not working from home were still working in their usual place of work or if they had stopped working. More detailed information on homeworking statistics before the coronavirus pandemic can be found in the release on Coronavirus and homeworking in the UK labour market.

Other main advice was that people should self-isolate when they experience symptoms related to COVID-19. This means they are advised not to leave their homes. These results should not be interpreted as an estimate of those with COVID-19 symptoms or those diagnosed with COVID-19.

Over 1 in 3 adults (39.0%) said they had self-isolated (stayed at home) in the past seven days. For those aged 70 years and over, this rose to 64.6%, while for those with an underlying health condition (of all ages) it was 53.4%.

Over 1 in 3 (36.9%) adults said someone in their household had self-isolated in the past seven days. For those aged 70 years and over this rose to 50.1%.

Additionally, 7 in 10 adults (72.9%) knew someone living outside their household that had self-isolated.