The first person in the county to be tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus has been confirmed by Dorset Council and Public Health England.

This brings the number of people in the area to four, with three people in the BCP Council area already confirmed to have the virus.

Information on which part of the Dorset Council area has not been disclosed for privacy reasons.

Rachel Partridge, Assistant Director of Public Health for Dorset and BCP Councils said: “I’d like to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains low and we are working with health colleagues to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading and ensure the people of Dorset are protected.”

As per the current advice, the most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves remains washing their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. Make sure you cough or sneeze into a tissue, put it in a bin and wash your hands.

Anyone who shows certain symptoms is advised to self-isolate for 7 days, regardless of whether they have travelled to affected areas. People with symptoms should stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for 7 days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.

The symptoms are:

· a high temperature

· a new, continuous cough

You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation. If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

For the latest information on COVID-19 refer to the NHS COVID-19 pages and the latest guidance for people with confirmed or possible COVID-19.

See the local Coronavirus information page for the latest.