Is it safe to hug my grandchildren – and can I go to DIY store?

Q My local DIY store has just reopened, so does that mean it’s now safe to enter?

A

B&Q reopened all of its stores last week, having closed them at the start of lockdown. DIY stores were always classed as essential and were not instructed to close by the Government. There are also calls for the opening of garden centres.

Provided that you are not in one of the vulnerable groups advised to shield or self-isolate, and you don’t have any Covid-19 symptoms, it is not unsafe to go to a DIY store. But make sure you take the correct precautions.

Most stores have social distancing measures in place such as keeping two metres apart in queues outside, so make sure you stick to these.

Remember how the virus is transmitted - in droplets from the mouth or nose of an infected person. These can land on you because you are close to a person, or the germs could be on a surface such as a handle of a trolley.

Do not touch your face, wash your hands when you get home – and go when there are likely to be fewer people in the shop.

Q I’m over 65 and had symptoms last week but they’ve now disappeared. Can I still get one of the at-home tests? A

Anyone aged over 65 is eligible for a free test for coronavirus and can apply via the Government website.

Each day a new batch will be made available but they run out quickly, so apply early.

At-home tests are available, as are appointments at local test centres.

The timing of the test is crucial. The test detects active virus, so this is most accurate when you are unwell and in the first five days of illness.

Apply as soon as you are ill, as there may be a day or two delay to access it.

If you take the test after the five-day period, the amount of virus in your body is likely to have reduced dramatically.

This means there’s a high chance of a negative result, even if you do in fact have the virus. This is what doctors call a false negative. There is hope for an antibody test in the near future, which can tell if you’ve previously had it.

Q Is it safe yet for children under ten to hug their grandparents? Apparently children aren’t as infectious as adults. A

It’s true that children do not seem to be affected as severely as adults by the virus.

That said, a small number of children are currently being treated in intensive care units – and even one is too many.

And some studies have suggested that children do get the virus, they just don’t develop symptoms.

We don’t yet know the extent to which children can pass it on – but the data increasingly suggests children are unlikely to be spreaders.

It’s for this reason that in Switzerland, the health ministry has allowed the hugging of grandchildren under the age of ten by their grandparents. However, the rules state there must not be regular babysitting.

Due to the lack of definitive evidence, the advice in the UK remains that grandchildren and grandparents who don’t live together should not hug.

Q Are frostbitten toes a sign of the virus? What should I look out for?

A

Skin changes in coronavirus are unusual. About one in five people with the infection is affected by such symptoms. It’s even rarer that they occur without the other, typical symptoms such as cough, fever and tiredness.

As we learn more about the virus, experts have noticed that some sufferers have different skin complaints such as blotchy rashes, hives or even blisters.

There have been cases of patients with sore skin patches at the end of their fingers or toes, which are sometimes itchy. They look a bit like frostbite or chilblains.

In coronavirus patients, this occurs due to a small amount of bleeding under the skin.

Many viral infections cause skin changes ranging from simple rashes in children to frightening bruises.

If a skin reaction occurs with other symptoms such as fatigue, a cough or temperature, then, of course, talk to NHS 111 about the possibility of Covid-19.

However, if the skin issues occur without any other problems, the cause is far more likely to be something else.