Everything you need to know about preparations for coronavirus in Sheffield, as health chief warns it will hit city

Director of Public Health Greg Fell has answered some questions about coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases in the United Kingdom rose to 87.

Is the coronavirus in Sheffield?

There are no Sheffield cases I'm aware of. Two people are being treated by the Hallamshire and there are probably others in the Hallamshire now because it's a very good infectious disease unit.

There are no Sheffield residents affected by the illness but we know that will change.

We expect the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic.

How do I know if it’s normal flu or coronavirus?

Much is not known about coronavirus. As with swine flu years ago, in the early days there is conflicting information.

We need to know as much as we can about the illness. It's unlikely there will be a vaccination this year.

There are distinctions because flu has vaccinations and anti viral treatments, which we don't have for coronavirus.

With coronavirus you need to self isolate, which you don’t do with flu.

It's hard to distinguish between flu and coronavirus hence the focus on testing people.

How can I protect myself?

The most important thing is washing your hands with soap and water. Wash them for the length of time it takes to sing two rounds of Happy Birthday.

If you cough or sneeze remember to catch it, bin it, kill it with tissues.

What should I do if I have symptoms?

Don't call your GP, call 111. There will be pods at the Hallamshire, Northern General and Children's to keep people out of A&E and there will be community testing.

The aim is to delay it until late spring and summer to lessen the impact on the NHS and social care and it's harder to spread in hotter conditions.

This winter has been mild with both flu severity and the weather and the NHS is in pretty good shape.

I’m a business owner, what should I do?

Keeping the public safe is important, keeping NHS staff is important and ensuring business continuity is an issue for us and any business.

What really worries me is business continuity especially in small organisations. This has to be done by the organisations themselves so they need to be prepared.

I’ve got a holiday booked, what should I do?

If you are returning from or going to a country, the Foreign Office has some really good advice.

Are major events like football matches, marathons and concerts going to be cancelled?

The cancellation of mass gatherings could be on the cards but is not actively being discussed as there is no evidence it would be effective.

Our services are focusing on the critical issues, particularly the most vulnerable people.

I’ve heard I will need special bin collections if I test positive and self-isolate at home?

The current advice for people who test positive is that their waste should be treated as clinical waste with a special collection.

I don’t think the virus can exist that long, after 12 to 24 hours. We don’t treat people with flu like this and make them put their tissues in double yellow bags and there is the issue about the stigma of having these bags outside your house so it seems a bit too much.

If we had thousands of extra people needing clinical waste there would be a problem with capacity and it would be expensive.