COVID-19: When to quarantine or isolate? Whats the difference? – WJHL-TV News Channel 11

by: Caroline Bleakley, Nexstar Media Wire

A man swabs his nose at a COVID-19 testing on the Martin Luther King Jr. medical campus Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its guidelines on coronavirus, raising questions about who should quarantine or isolate and for how long.

Last week, the CDC shortened its COVID-19 isolation and quarantine recommendations and clarified that the guidance applies to kids as well as adults.

Isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus were cut from 10 to five days and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

There is a difference between quarantine and isolation. You should quarantine if you come into contact with someone who has coronavirus and you think you have it. You should isolate if you confirm you have coronavirus even if you dont have symptoms.

If you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine if:

If you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, you do not need to quarantine if:

The CDC suggests a person quarantine for five days following their last contact with an infected person. Your day of exposure is day 0. Stay home and away from other people. If you are around people at home, wear a well-fitting mask. You should watch for a fever, shortness of breath, or other COVID-19 symptoms. If symptoms develop, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive the results.

If you test positive, the CDC suggests you follow guidelines for isolation. If you do not develop symptoms after five days and you receive a negative test, you can leave your home, but you should continue to wear a mask until it has been 10 days since the exposure.

People in isolation should stay home in a specified sick room to be separated from others and wear a well-fitting mask if they must be around others in the home. You should isolate a full five days. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the positive test for a person with no symptoms. You can end isolation after a full five days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and other symptoms have improved. However, you should wear a mask for an additional five days while in public.

You can find more detailed information on the CDC website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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COVID-19: When to quarantine or isolate? Whats the difference? - WJHL-TV News Channel 11