My daughter's shielding - should she return to school? And other questions

The shielding advice remains unchanged at the moment, even for those who have received both doses of the vaccine. The government is keeping the situation under review. In addition, another 1.7 million clinically vulnerable people have been asked to shield in England.

Shielding has never been compulsory, but is strongly recommended to protect lives.

People shielding are advised to stay at home at all times, apart from going out to exercise or attend a medical appointment, and keep all contact with others to a minimum and avoid busy areas. You should also try to stay 2m (6ft) away from other people within your household, especially if they display symptoms of the virus or have been advised to self-isolate.

Lockdown has helped get coronavirus cases down in the community, which reduces the risk of people coming into contact with the virus. But social distancing measures are still advised for everyone.

Even those who have been vaccinated should continue to use face coverings, regularly wash their hands and keep their distance from others to help prevent the spread of Covid.

No vaccine is 100% protective and immunisation will not stop all spread of the virus. Having the vaccine cuts a person’s chance of getting ill if they do catch it.

Although people of any age can experience symptoms if they catch coronavirus, people in older age groups, as well as those with underlying health conditions, are at higher risk of getting severely ill. This is why they are being offered the vaccine first.

It’s estimated about one in 10 people who fall ill with covid remain unwell two months after being infected. Long covid can last from weeks to many months.

Some people who were infected towards the beginning of the pandemic still have long covid now. Others have since recovered.

The symptoms of long covid are varied and can fluctuate. Doctors are learning more about the condition, including the symptoms that people may experience and how long these can last for.

Vaccine deliveries are increasing, but some doses will be reserved for people who need their second “booster” shot.

The government says it is confident that there will be enough supplies to meet the ambition to vaccinate all people over the age of 50, as well as unpaid carers and people of any age with underlying health conditions, by the end of April.

The fact that you have been vaccinated will not affect your ability to travel in or out of the UK, but you should still be allowed to travel to Poland if the purpose of your visit is to provide essential care for your sister.

Poland insists on a 10-day period of self-isolation for anyone arriving in the country by public transport.

You would not have to self-isolate if you had a negative Covid-19 test certificate issued within 48 hours before entering Poland (both PCR and lateral flow antigen tests are acceptable). You would have to pay privately for such a test.

You can also avoid self-isolation if you have been vaccinated against Covid-19 “and produce a certificate of vaccination”. However, the UK does not currently issue certificates of vaccination, and it is by no means certain that Polish border security would accept a vaccination record card as proof.

When you return to the UK, you will still have to observe the rules which currently apply to all arrivals from Poland - a negative test before travelling, a 10-day period of self-isolation at home, with two further tests taken during that period.

British Airways currently refunds passengers whose flights have been cancelled. However, some customers like you may have booked flights or holidays last year which they cannot now take, because of the regulations introduced since then to ban non-essential foreign travel.

If your scheduled flight is still due to go ahead but you cannot take it, BA will not offer a refund. However, it says that, “customers who are unable to travel, or choose not to, can continue to change their flights or request a voucher for future use”.

Consumer groups have said they’re unhappy with BA and other airlines offering vouchers. If the price of the flight or holiday is more expensive on the re-booked date, the passenger has to make up the difference, and cannot choose to fly with a different provider who may be cheaper. Vouchers also have expiry dates.

The government watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, is carrying out an investigation into whether airlines “have breached consumers’ legal rights by failing to offer cash refunds for flights they could not lawfully take”.

The NHS doesn’t provide healthcare for UK nationals who live abroad, and this includes vaccinations. You’re advised to seek medical advice from your local healthcare provider.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says that it’s closely monitoring other countries’ plans for rolling out vaccines, and can advise British expats where to find information about local programmes.

Specific advice on Oman can be found on the FCDO’s Travel Advice page and you can sign up for alerts whenever the advice is updated.

There are practically no exemptions from hotel quarantine for UK nationals arriving from the UAE - it is one of 33 red list countries where it’s feared new Covid variants might be spreading.

If you are vaccinated, you have a greatly reduced chance of catching the disease yourself, but you may still carry the disease and spread it to other people.

For that reason, you would have to obey quarantine laws or face a fine or prison sentence, just as you will have to follow the lockdown rules when you are in the UK.

So far the vaccines seem to provide equally good protection against the UK variant - which emerged in the autumn and has now become the main strain of the virus in circulation.

There are signs the vaccine could be slightly less effective against another mutation found in the South Africa variant, but nevertheless the jab will still give very good protection.

And while the virus will keep mutating, vaccine developers are poised to update their jabs at relatively short notice.

Cases of the South Africa variant are in their tens in the UK at the moment, so it’s hoped travel bans will restrict further imports of cases containing this and any other genetic changes, that could make suppressing the virus more difficult.

The UK variant shares some similarities with the South African one, but doesn’t generally have one of its more worrying mutations. The genetic change dubbed “E484K” shows signs of being able to hide from the body’s immune response and may cause vaccines to be less effective.

However, the scientists who study the genetic makeup of coronavirus have found a small handful of test samples which, while they look like the UK variant, also have the addition of this alarming mutation.

A tiny number of samples (about 10) have been detected in Bristol which look like the Kent variant, but appear to have an additional mutation which it’s feared could make the vaccine slightly less effective.

Everyone in the relevant area is being invited for tests whether or not they have symptoms, and the government has said it is “critical” they stay at home apart from when it is “absolutely essential” – although no formal additional restrictions have been put in place.

Mutations happen when viruses reproduce inside the body, and there’s a limited number of ways in which they can change - so we do see the same changes happening independently of each other in different countries.

The UK variant and the South African variant for example are made up of distinct constellations of mutations – but they contain some of the same genetic changes within them.

If you are over 16 and live or work in an area being targeted for the South Africa variant of Covid, you are strongly encouraged to take a test this week, whether or not you are showing symptoms.

In most areas, home testing kits are being delivered and collected, while some councils are also providing mobile testing sites. The tests are PCR ones, which involve swabbing the nose or throat and are regarded as the most reliable.

You need to register the testing kit online or via 119 so you can be sent the results. People with symptoms in the "surge" areas are being asked to apply for a test in the normal way.

No extra restrictions have been placed on the areas, above and beyond the current lockdown rules, and there is no ban on leaving home to work.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged people in the targeted areas to stay at home and only go out when "absolutely essential".

No extra restrictions have been placed on the areas where testing is taking place for the South Africa Covid variant, above and beyond the current lockdown rules, and there is no ban on leaving home to work.

However, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said that people in these areas should be having a "conversation with their employer about working from home" to limit the time they spend outside their house.

Under the current lockdown rules, people across the UK have been asked to work at home wherever feasible, and employers have been told to "take every possible step" to make this happen, including ensuring workplaces are "Covid secure".

If you are unhappy and feel your employer is not addressing your worries, you should contact your local council or the Health and Safety Executive.

The new variant is rapidly replacing other versions of the virus in circulation in the UK, and passes more quickly from person to person.

Experts are studying the virus to understand what the changes might mean.

It is possible that the mutations make it easier for the virus to enter cells.

It might be that people who are infected with the new variant have more of the virus in their nose and throat and can spread it more easily when they cough and sneeze.

Saga Cruises attracted headlines recently when it announced it would not allow any passengers to board without showing proof of full Covid vaccination.

On its website the company says that it expects all travellers to have received the vaccine at least 14 days before they embark on a cruise. It adds: “You will be required to bring the vaccination document and/or evidence with you as proof at the time of boarding.”

In terms of proof, people who have been vaccinated could show their record card, but there is no “vaccine passport” currently available, nor are there any concrete plans by the government to introduce one.

The vaccines available for Covid are considered extremely safe and there are no reports of serious side-effects.

People over the age of 18 with Down’s syndrome are currently being vaccinated as they are on the list of those considered to be extremely clinically vulnerable. The government is hoping to offer the vaccine to everyone on this list (as well as other high priority groups such as the elderly) by the middle of February.

The extremely clinically vulnerable list was amended in November to add people with Down’s syndrome, after studies suggested they were at greater risk of becoming seriously ill if they caught Covid.

The vast majority of children and teenagers with Down’s syndrome are considered to be at less risk than adults, although teenagers aged 16-18 will be offered the vaccine during the second phase of the roll-out, planned for between the end of February and April.

Lots of people are wondering whether having the vaccine will stop them spreading coronavirus.

We know the vaccine significantly reduces the risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus. But it is unclear whether it stops people from catching it or passing it on to others.

So it is really important that people continue with social distancing, wearing face coverings and washing their hands, even if they have been immunised.

It's also worth remembering that it takes a few weeks after vaccination before you are protected. For the Covid vaccines currently available in the UK, two doses, spaced weeks apart, are recommended to give the best protection.

However if you have already formed a support bubble with your father, you can have close physical contact with him.

It’s not clear yet how long immunity might last after vaccination.

It is possible that people will need to be vaccinated annually or every few years to have protection.

Yes. Allergy to penicillin is not listed as a clinical reason to avoid having either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine.

However, when you are invited for your Covid vaccine, you should discuss your allergies with healthcare staff to make sure there is no other reason to avoid it.

The people giving the vaccines will be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to help prevent the spread of virus.

Some will also have already been vaccinated themselves, due to their occupation as healthcare providers.

Every vial, which contains several vaccine doses, is stored frozen and has to be thawed and then diluted before people are vaccinated.

Healthcare staff will be given detailed information on exactly how long the vials can be stored in a fridge (five days) and when they should be discarded after being taken out.

Prof Jonathan Van Tam says these considerations make this “delicate” vaccine more complicated to get to people in care homes and to the elderly in their own homes.

But this won’t be as much of an issue in hospitals where vaccine doses can be stored in bulk and used quickly on staff and patients.

At present, women are not advised to have a Covid vaccine during pregnancy, or if they are planning to get pregnant in the next three months.

There are no safety concerns from any of the data but, as in most trials, the vaccine has not yet been tested on pregnant women.

As a result, the official advice is that women should postpone being vaccinated until they have given birth.

NHS guidance says that if a woman finds out she is pregnant after having the first dose, she should not have the second dose until after the pregnancy has ended.

The vaccine distribution will be largely prioritised by age, so the majority of pregnant women would be low down on the list to receive it in any case.

Even pregnant women who are at higher risk of coronavirus – with underlying heart conditions, for example – should wait until after their pregnancy and then have the jab as soon as possible afterwards.

Although it’s been done quickly, this vaccine trial hasn’t skipped any of the usual steps.

The only difference is that some of the stages overlapped so, for example, phase three of the trial – when tens of thousands of people are given the vaccine – started while phase two, involving a few hundred people, was still going on.

Side effects usually show up quite quickly after vaccination and longer-term effects are extremely rare – much, much rarer than long-term side effects of the virus.

Usually vaccine trials are slowed down by long periods of waiting around, applying for permission, funding and resources.

It’s those elements that were sped up, because of the huge global interest in doing so.

People will be vaccinated whether or not they’ve had Covid.

We don’t yet know how long natural immunity lasts, and vaccination can offer better protection than immunity from the disease itself.

No, people in the UK are not being told they must have the vaccine.

However, those in the most at-risk groups (over-70s and care home residents), and people who work in care homes and for the NHS will be expected to have it - to protect themselves and the people they care for.

Making a vaccine mandatory is not usually recommended because it can lower confidence in the jab.

Scientists don’t know the exact answer to that at the moment.

The volunteers in the vaccine trials who were given the jab will be followed up for many months to come to check how long they are protected for.

Natural immunity to the virus, once someone has been infected, appears to last at least six months so it’s likely a vaccine will offer this length of protection and hopefully a lot more.

The vaccine significantly reduces the risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus. But it is unclear whether it stops people from catching the virus or passing it on to others.

So it is really important that people continue with social distancing, wearing face coverings and washing their hands, even if they have been immunised.

If your immune system is suppressed and not working as well as it might, some "live" vaccines are not recommended. This is because the weakened virus they are made from could cause problems.

The Oxford vaccine is not a "live" vaccine. Scientists are testing which patients could benefit from it and whether this might include people with certain health conditions, or who are taking particular medication or undergoing treatment for something else, such as cancer or HIV.

There are lots of different Covid vaccines in development and some may be more suitable for different groups than others.

These three different Covid vaccines all appear to be safe and effective in trials. It will be up to regulators to check the data and decide whether to approve the jabs for widespread use.

The Oxford vaccine is based on a more traditional method for making vaccines than the Pfizer and Moderna ones. It uses a modified, harmless cold virus to carry the genetic information on Covid into the body to get the immune system to mount a response. The Oxford team has already used this technology to make vaccines for other diseases, including flu. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a brand new method for making a vaccine.

They contain a small amount of genetic code, made in the lab, to match the spike protein on the surface of the pandemic virus. This does not alter the genetics of human cells though, but triggers the immune system to make antibodies that can fight Covid.

Neither the Pfizer jab nor the Covid vaccines that could soon be approved for use - Moderna or Oxford/Astrazeneca – are made using eggs so there should be no issue for people with egg allergies.

No vaccine is 100% effective for everyone. And 70% is still very good, particularly for a disease as serious as Covid-19.

US regulators had said they would accept 50% protection as worth pursuing for Covid. Flu jabs are between 40% and 60% effective.

Both vaccines need to be stored at below freezing temperatures when they are transported from the factory out to clinics.

The Pfizer jab needs to be kept at around -70C, which is somewhat challenging, while the Moderna one can be kept in a normal freezer temperature of -20C.

Both can be thawed and kept in a fridge once they arrive at the clinic, but the Pfizer one then has a short shelf life of five days compared to four weeks for the Moderna vaccine.

The NHS has been planning how best to roll out the vaccine. It will be a large-scale immunisation programme, requiring lots of trained staff to administer the jabs.

Pharmacists, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals will be able to vaccinate people in a range of settings – including care homes, hospitals and GP clinics as well as pop-up centres, such as sports stadiums and conference buildings.

It could mean some delays to some non-Covid NHS services, but urgent and essential care will be prioritised. The aim is to keep usual services running whenever possible. You could contact your GP to discuss any concerns you have.

If you can't download the new NHS Covid-19 tracing app, it is probably because your phone runs on an older operating system. The app will only work on a certain number of newer models.

This is because it uses technology only recently developed by Apple and Google, which will not work on earlier operating systems.

Your phone must have the IOS 13.5 operating system installed (released in May 2020), or Android 6.0 (released in 2015), as well as Bluetooth 4.0 or higher.

This excludes the iPhone 6 or any earlier models, as well as old versions of Apple’s handsets (and some newer Huawei phones).

If your smartphone is not compatible, the NHS Test and Trace Service is still the first port of call for any contact tracing issues.

Apple and Google's framework will not allow two apps to contact trace simultaneously.

So when you cross the border from England to Scotland, you need to open the Scottish app and turn on contact tracing within it. This will bring up a prompt asking: "Switch app for exposure notifications?" When you do this, it will turn off the app you were using beforehand.

You can get your own unique QR code at this government website. All you need to enter is your email and your restaurant's address.

Every business, place of worship, event and community organisation with a public space should create a unique QR code they can display for visitors to scan.

You can then print off a QR code poster. It’s a good idea to put the QR poster near the entrance, so that visitors can log their location by scanning the poster with the track and trace app when they arrive.

If you run more than one venue, you will need to create a separate QR code for each location.

The government says that the app “has been designed to work in the phone’s background, working alongside other Bluetooth features and devices”, so your hearing aids should be unaffected.

If you do find some interference, there is an online form to report this to them.

There have been no reports of interference between the app and medical devices in trials, but the government says it is sensible to be cautious when you rely on a medical device – in particular, it has included advice for people who use pacemakers.

Coronavirus is an infectious disease discovered in China in December 2019. Its more precise name is Covid-19.

There are actually hundreds of coronaviruses - most of which circulate among animals, including pigs, camels, bats and cats. But there are a few - such as Covid-19 - that infect humans.

Some coronaviruses cause mild to moderate illnesses, such as the common cold. Covid-19 is among those that can lead to more serious illnesses such as pneumonia.

Most infected people will have only mild symptoms - perhaps a fever, aching limbs a cough, and loss of taste or smell - and will recover without special treatment.

But some older people, and those with underlying medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer are at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell.

The NHS has more about symptoms.

When people recover from an infection, their body is left with some memory of how to fight it should they encounter it again. This immunity is not always long-lasting or totally efficient, however, and can decrease over time.

It is unclear, though, if people who have recovered from coronavirus will be able to get it again.

Hong Kong scientists have reported the first case of a man who was reinfected with coronavirus, although the World Health Organization has warned against jumping to conclusions on the basis of one case.

University of Oxford’s Prof Sarah Gilbert says that it “probably is likely” that an infected person will be able to be reinfected in the future.

Scientists have said that the “incubation period” - the time between catching the virus and starting to show symptoms - is five days on average. However, some people can have symptoms earlier or much later than this.

The World Health Organization advises that the incubation period can last up to 14 days. But some researchers say it may be up to 24 days.

Knowing and understanding the incubation period is very important. It allows doctors and health authorities to introduce more effective ways to control the spread of the virus.

Both viruses are highly contagious.

On average, it's thought people with the coronavirus infect two to three other people, while those with flu pass it on to about one other person.

There are simple steps you can take to stop the spread of flu and coronavirus:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water

If you have returned from holiday abroad and have to self-isolate in quarantine, you will not automatically qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it's possible you might have to make arrangements with your employer if you cannot work from home.

• Catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue and then put it in the bin

For four out of five people Covid-19 will be a mild disease, a bit like flu.

Symptoms include [fever, a dry cough or loss of smell and taste(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51048366)

If the virus gets well established in the lungs it can cause breathing difficulties and pneumonia. About one in seven people may need hospital treatment.

Recovery time will depend on how sick you became in the first place. Some people shrug off the illness quickly, but for others the path to full health can take months, and leave lasting problems.

This is the subject of ongoing research, but little is still known about how many people are carrying the virus without knowing it.

Different studies currently suggest a huge range of possibilities for how many "silent spreaders" there are - ranging from 5% to 80% of cases. That was the conclusion of an analysis by Prof Carl Heneghan of the University of Oxford and colleagues who looked at 21 research projects.

The upshot, they said, was that "there is not a single reliable study to determine the number of asymptomatics". And they said that if the screening for Covid-19 is only carried out on people with symptoms - which has been the main focus of UK testing policy - then cases will be missed, "perhaps a lot of cases".

Some scientists believe that asymptomatic cases may be the main force driving the pandemic, and there have been calls for increased testing to establish how many "silent carriers" there may be.

Diabetics are not included in the list of people at highest risk. However, some may be advised to take extra precautions if they suffer from a combination of factors, such as heart disease or obesity, as well as diabetes - which put them at much higher risk of complications.

A third of virus deaths in England from 1 March to 11 May were linked to diabetes, but research suggests the threat for those under 40 with type 1 (insulin-dependent) or type 2 diabetes is still very low.

Age remains the strongest risk factor for becoming severely or fatally ill with coronavirus, say experts.

Diabetes UK advises anyone with diabetes to try their best to manage their condition carefully, keeping their blood sugar in range as much as possible, as well as following social distancing measures.

Asthma UK's advice is to keep taking your daily preventer inhaler (usually brown) as prescribed. This will help cut the risk of an asthma attack being triggered by any respiratory virus, including coronavirus.

Carry your blue reliever inhaler with you every day, in case you feel your asthma symptoms flaring up. If your asthma is getting worse and there is a risk you might have coronavirus, contact the online NHS 111 coronavirus service.

Coronavirus can be more severe in older people and those with pre-existing conditions such as heart and lung illnesses, or diabetes.

There is no evidence that disabled people who are otherwise healthy - and who don't, for instance, have respiratory problems - are at greater risk from coronavirus.

Covid-19 can, in a small number of cases, lead to pneumonia, most notably in people with pre-existing lung conditions.

But as this is a new virus, no-one will have any immunity to it, whether they have previously had pneumonia, or any other form of coronavirus such as Sars.

Wearing masks presents major challenges for some deaf people who rely on lip-reading to communicate, but who also need to stay safe from catching the virus, especially if in a hospital setting.

The charity Action on Hearing Loss says there are some clinically approved see-through covered face masks that help enable lip-reading. However, they do not provide enough protection against aerosols spread by coronavirus, and wouldn’t be right for health and social care workers to use during this pandemic.

Many of the experimental coronavirus jabs currently being tested contain the genetic instructions for the surface spike protein that coronavirus uses to attach to and infect human cells. Reassuringly, scientists have not seen any substantial mutations to this part of the virus yet that would render these vaccines useless.

If you’re living with someone who’s self-isolating, you should keep all contact to a minimum and, if possible, not be in the same room together.

The person self-isolating should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window that can be opened, and keep away from other people in the house.

If you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll also need to self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started.

If you get symptoms, self-isolate for 14 days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you're self-isolating for longer than 10 days. If you do not get symptoms, you can stop self-isolating after 10 days.

If you or your housemates develop symptoms after 00:01 GMT on Monday 14 December, you will only have to self-isolate for 10 days.

If you live with your partner, they count as being part of your household. If neither of you is showing coronavirus symptoms and you are already in close contact, having sex won't increase the likelihood of you catching the virus from one another. If one person does have symptoms, they should be self-isolating in a separate room.

Using contraception such as condoms won't alter your risk of catching the virus, as having sex will bring you into close physical contact anyway.

"If you are going to touch each other's genitals it's likely that you will potentially be kissing at the same time - and we know the virus is passed through saliva," Dr Alex George told the BBC's Newsbeat.

"Essentially, any possibility of transfer of coronavirus - from your mouth to your hands, to genitals, to someone else's nose or mouth - increases the risk of passing on coronavirus."

On balance, this is almost certainly unnecessary.

While hand washing is very important for personal hygiene, none of the advice from the world’s leading health bodies – the World Health Organization for example, the CDC in the US or the NHS in the UK – places any importance on hair washing one way or another.

It’s theoretically possible that you could catch the virus if someone sneezed on your hair and those droplets found their way to your eyes, nose or mouth (for instance if your hair fell over your face).

However, research suggests that while virus droplets can survive for a couple of hours on some non-porous surfaces such as steel, there are few – if any – cases of Covid which can be traced back to being transmitted in this way.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has not made it compulsory for taxi drivers to wear face coverings in England because they say they do not want to interfere with the rules and regulations of different transport operators.

However, DfT still advises that drivers wear face coverings when they are unable to socially distance.

In any case, many major operators – Uber, for example – insist that face coverings are worn by both passengers and drivers.

Transport for London has also asked all taxi and private hire companies to ensure drivers wear face coverings.

Taxi drivers in Wales are advised but not compelled to wear face coverings, but it is mandatory in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Pregnant women are being advised by the UK government to stay at home and keep contact with others to a minimum. However, they should attend antenatal clinics as normal.

There is no evidence to suggest that pregnant women are more likely to get coronavirus. But, for a small number of women, being pregnant may change the way their body deals with a severe viral infection.

The government’s chief medical adviser says this is a precautionary measure until scientists find out more about the virus and that "infections and pregnancy are not a good combination in general”.

Mothers pass on protection from infection to their babies through their breast milk.

If your body is producing antibodies to fight the infection, these would be passed on through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding mums should follow the same advice as anyone else over reducing risk - cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough, throw away used tissues straight away and wash hands frequently, while trying to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

This is highly unlikely to happen, according to scientists and vets.

While there are rare cases where an animal has caught the virus from a human, there is no evidence that humans can catch the virus from animals.

It is possible that a pet's fur could become contaminated if an infected person has previously touched or stroked the animal.

But even without the threat of coronavirus, you should always wash your hands with soap and water after handling an animal or its lead, and avoid touching your nose and mouth.

Self-employed people who have symptoms or have been told to self-isolate may apply for two benefits - universal credit or employment and support allowance.

Normally, you would be eligible after four days of being ill. However, the government has responded to the spread of coronavirus by saying that companies will temporarily pay SSP from the first day off.

But charities are worried that there is still a five-week delay before universal credit is paid.

Anyone aged 18 or above can apply for universal credit if they live in the UK and are on a low income or out of work.

Students in full-time education aren’t usually eligible for universal credit, but they can make a claim if they do not have any parental support, are responsible for a child or are in a couple with a partner who is eligible for universal credit.

People aged 16 or 17 can also apply for universal credit if they do not have any parental support, are responsible for a child, caring for a disabled person or cannot work.

You can use the government's benefits calculator to find out how much you may be entitled to.

The government advises that people who are self-isolating should work from home wherever possible and be paid as normal.

If they can’t work from home, employers must ensure any self-isolating employee gets sick pay or is allowed to use paid leave days if they prefer.

Employees in self-isolation are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for every day they are in isolation, worth £95.85 per week, as long as they qualify.

However, employers can choose to pay staff their full wages during this period if they wish.

Research conducted by the Resolution Foundation has found that the coronavirus pandemic could increase youth unemployment by 600,000 this year.

If you’re worried about finding a job you can head to the National Careers Service for advice on how to find job vacancies.

You can also search online for virtual job fairs. This could help you explore different job opportunities and connect with potential employers directly from home.

Experts recommend using lockdown to refresh your CV and also look for any online training opportunities which might put you in a better position when you eventually apply for a job.

The short answer to this is no.

It's true that you don’t have to go into quarantine if you’re returning to the UK from what’s known as the Common Travel Area (CTA) - Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

When the government first announced its plans, there was some speculation that to avoid quarantine, travellers from other countries would be able to fly into an airport in the CTA, and then on to the UK and so avoid having to self-isolate.

However, this loophole (termed by some the "Dublin dodge") has now been closed by the government. Travellers will only be exempt from quarantine if they have been in the CTA for 14 days or more.

You will have to show proof of when you entered the CTA, and how long you have spent there - such as a boarding pass or itinerary - when you enter the UK.

Key workers will not necessarily be exempt.

The government has published a detailed list of who will not need to follow the quarantine rules. Among others, it includes road haulage and freight workers, medical and care professionals providing essential health care, some seasonal agricultural workers, Eurostar and Eurotunnel employees, pilots and aircrew and people working to maintain key infrastructure such as the railways.

It also depends where you are going in the UK - some employees will be exempt from quarantine in England and Wales, but not Scotland.

The government guidance details what you’ll need to show when you enter the UK to prove you are exempt. This differs between categories but typically includes proof of your name and address, the name of your employer and what work you’ll be doing.

Unless your flatmates were travelling with you, they do not need to self-isolate or quarantine with you.

However, you must avoid contact with them and minimise the time you spend in shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas.

You should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window to the outside that can be opened, separate from your flatmates, and if you can, you should use a separate bathroom from them. If you do need to share these facilities, regular cleaning will be required after each person has used them.

Make sure you use separate towels from the other people in your house, both for bathing and showering, and for washing your hands.

Not necessarily.

If you have returned from holiday abroad and have to self-isolate in quarantine, you will not automatically qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), so it's possible you might have to take the extra time off as annual leave, or else as unpaid leave.

The Department of Work and Pensions says that anyone planning to travel should do so in the knowledge that they will be required to self-isolate on their return.

It adds that employers and staff should discuss and agree any arrangements in advance, and urges employers to take socially responsible decisions.

Meanwhile, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is still advising UK nationals against taking all but essential international travel.