To Quarantine or Not To Quarantine... There has been some confusion in recent weeks concerning when to quarantine after close contact with a person who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. A negative COVID-19 test does not eliminate the need for a 14 day quarantine. Anyone who has had close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. I hope the following brief questions and answers, drawn from the CDC website, will be helpful.
CLOSE CONTACT AND QUARANTINE Drawn from CDC.gov When should I Quarantine? You should quarantine for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19 What counts as close contact?
You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
You shared eating or drinking utensils
They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
Can I end quarantine if I test negative for COVID-19? No. Even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus