Self employed... To go on sick leave?

[HoneyFlowers]

Hiya, I am self employed and I am on day 16 since testing positive for Covid. I feel like I just can't shake symptoms off or get better. I have a massive list of symptoms. I am thinking of signing myself off on sick leave being self employed as the worry of appointments is not helping me to rest properly. I just don't know how long to sign myself off for as it's so time consuming cancelling and rescheduling appointments over again and obviously annoying for people who have booked them in too.

You can apply for sick pay when you are self employed, but you used to need a sick note from GP. My adult son applied a couple of years ago when he was recovering from an operation. He found the number online and applied over the phone.

You can’t get sick pay when you’re self employed. You don’t have to work but you won’t get paid unless you are eligible for benefits.

You might be able to get ESA?

I'm not after sick pay, just confused how long to postpone appointments for.