Home isolation and COVID-19

Home isolation for COVID-19 keeps people with COVID-19 away from other people who are not infected with the virus. If you are in home isolation, you should stay there until it is safe to be around others.

How to Isolate from Other People

Learn when to isolate at home and when it is safe to be around other people.

You should isolate yourself at home if:

• You have symptoms of COVID-19, and you can recover at home

  COVID-19

  Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that causes fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Some people with COVID-19 have di...

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• You have no symptoms, but tested positive for COVID-19

  Tested

  To test for the virus that causes COVID-19, a health care provider will take a mucus sample from your upper respiratory tract. This test is used to...

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While in home isolation, you should separate yourself and stay away from other people to help prevent spreading COVID-19.

• As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from others in your home. Use a separate bathroom if you can. Do not leave your home except to get medical care.
• Take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, taking over-the-counter medicines, and staying hydrated.

  Take care of yourself

  You have recently been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that causes fever, coughing, and shortn...

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• Keep track of your symptoms (such as fever >100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or >38 degrees Celsius, cough, shortness of breath) and stay in touch with your doctor. You may receive instructions on how to check and report your symptoms.

  Symptoms

  COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory illness caused by a new, or novel, virus. COVID-19 is spreading quickly throughout the world and within ...

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• If you have severe symptoms, call 911 or the local emergency number.
• Tell your close contacts that you may have been infected with COVID-19. Close contacts are people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, starting 2 days before symptoms appear (or before a positive test) until the person is isolated.
• Use a face mask over your nose and mouth when you see your health care provider and anytime other people are in the same room with you.

  Face mask

  When you wear a face mask in public, it helps protect other people from possible infection with COVID-19. Other people who wear masks help protect y...

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• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Throw out the tissue after use.
• Wash your hands many times a day with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds.

  Wash your hands many times a day

  Washing your hands often during the day is an important way to help reduce the spread of germs and prevent illness. Learn when you should wash your ...

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• Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Do not share personal items such as cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding. Wash anything you have used in soap and water.
• Clean all "high-touch" areas in the home, such as doorknobs, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, toilets, phones, tablets, counters, and other surfaces. Use a household cleaning spray and follow instructions for use.

When to End Home Isolation

Talk with your health care provider about when it is safe to end home isolation. When it is safe depends upon your specific situation. These are the recommendations from the CDC for when it is safe to be around other people.

If you think or know you had COVID-19, and you had symptoms.

It is safe to be around others if ALL of the following are true:

1. It has been at least 10 days since your symptoms first appeared AND
2. You have gone at least 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicine AND
3. Your symptoms have improved (including cough and shortness of breath)

If you tested positive for COVID-19, but did not have symptoms.

You can end home isolation if ALL of the following are true:

1. You have continued to have no symptoms of COVID-19 AND
2. It has been 10 days since you tested positive

Most people do not need to be tested before being around others. However, your health care provider may recommend testing and will let you know when it is safe to be around others based on your results.

People with weak immune systems due to a health condition or medicine may need to be tested before being around others. People who have severe COVID-19 may need to stay home longer than 10 days. Talk with your health care provider to find out when it's safe to be around others.

When to Call the Doctor

You should call your health care provider:

• If you have symptoms and think you may have been exposed to COVID-19
• If you have COVID-19 and your symptoms are getting worse

Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have:

• Trouble breathing
• Chest pain or pressure
• Confusion or inability to wake up
• Blue lips or face
• Any other symptoms that are severe or concern you