Coronavirus (Covid-19) Advice

Update: 19th July 2021

On 19 July, 2021, England moved to Step 4 of the ‘roadmap’.  Many of the restrictions have now been removed, but the Government stresses that everyone should remain cautious as the incidence of COVID-19 remains high.

The situation is different in the other countries of the United Kingdom:

• For information on the situation in Northern Ireland, click here
• For information on the situation in Scotland, click here
• For information on the situation in Wales, click here

Full details, including general advice on how to protect yourself and others can be found on the Government website:  https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

For specific details on how to continue to stay safe and help prevent the spread of coronavirus: click here

For Government guidance on protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable, click here

Here AMMF shares details from an open letter to the public – supported by many cancer charities including Cancer52, of which AMMF is an active member.

On 19 July in England we will see Covid restrictions lifted, with people will no longer required to wear face masks in crowded places or maintain social distance.

Many people will be looking forward this as the day they get their “freedoms back”.  But for many with cancer, this is a day when freedoms are taken away, because their cancer, or their treatment for cancer, means the vaccine, even after two doses, is less likely to protect them from serious illness from Covid than it is for the general public.

Over the last few months, many of those with cancer have been starting to get back to normal, meeting up with friends outdoors or sitting outside at cafes and restaurants.

They have felt able to do this because the people around them have been wearing masks and keeping their distance. The more people exercise their freedom to stop wearing masks and stop social distancing, the more people with cancer will feel they have to stop their normal activities, and will feel more worried when they have to do things like use public transport.

We had hoped the Government would continue to insist people carry on wearing masks and social distancing in crowded places. But Government has decided not to do this, so we are asking every person in England, knowing you already do so much for people with cancer through the financial support you give us, to do three things to help them further over the next few weeks:

1. Keep wearing masks in crowded places
There is good evidence they stop the spread, and for all you know, that person sitting a few seats down from you on the bus might be on their way to their chemotherapy appointment.

2. Keep your distance from people you don’t know
There is no way of knowing if someone has cancer and so might be vulnerable to the virus, so it’s best to assume everyone you come into contact with might be.

3. Get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already
The more people who are vaccinated, the safer those with cancer will be,  particularly those who have a compromised immune system,

These three things are especially important in England, where the restrictions are being lifted first. But they are equally important to people with cancer in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, too.

Just one person doing these three things could make a real difference. And if we all do this, we will be helping to keep everyone safe during these difficult days.

For updated information on the coronavirus, please refer to:

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Advice on GP online service: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Advice for the public from the WHO: click here
Advice on travel: https://www.gov.uk/travel-abroad