It is permissible for an employer to require employees be tested for COVID and share their results with the employer, as long as the test is “job-related and consistent with business necessity.”
It is important that employees be virus-free when they come to work. Requiring testing and requiring employees to share the results is permissible. The employer must keep the employee medical information confidential and must maintain it separately from the employee’s personnel file.
We recommend leaving your children at home in the care of another adult. If you have no other option, you are welcome to bring your child.
No – that would be discrimination.
If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, you should contact your medical provider to discuss whether you are a candidate for testing.
There are multiple testing options county-wide. If you are not able to obtain testing through your medical provider, free confidential testing is available in Marin and the Bay Area. Search for your nearest testing location by zipcode.
If you test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms, you may discontinue isolation if the following conditions are met:
- the most recent 24 hrs have passed without fever (without the use of fever-reducing meds) AND
- improvement in respiratory symptoms (like cough, shortness of breath) AND
- at least 10 days have passed since the symptoms first appeared (CDC updated this guidance to 10 days to reflect a longer duration of viral shedding.)
If you have no symptoms but are COVID-19 positive, you may discontinue isolation once 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive test, if you remain symptom-free. Afterward, you should continue to stay 6 feet away from others and wear a face mask as directed by the current Public Health Order.
Please read Marin County’s At Home Quarantine & Isolation Safety guidance document (published 4/5/20) for important information and practical tips.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html
As defined by the CDC, a Person Under Investigation (PUI) is any person currently under investigation for having the virus that causes COVID-19. A Person Under Investigation should be directed to COVID testing and quarantine under the guidance of their health care professional or Marin Public Health.
Source: CDC, Marin HHS
Even people without symptoms can have COVID-19 and give it to others. It’s important to get tested to help protect the people who you live, work, and interact with so they don’t get the virus. For adults over 65 and people with certain health conditions, being exposed to COVID-19 could be deadly. Testing is one of the best ways to protect our community and our loved ones from getting sick or dying from COVID-19.
Follow the guidance of your doctor which may be specific to your individual health needs. In general, if you have symptoms, stay at home until you are fever free for at least 24 hours (without the aid of fever reducing medication) and 10 days after your symptoms have resolved.
Source: Marin HHS
Marin County Public Health is reporting test results based on laboratory reporting to the state. On March 24, Bay Area public health officers issued an order that requires commercial labs to report all results (positive and negative). But we are still seeing lags in reporting, which makes it difficult for public health officials to provide an accurate testing picture for Marin.
You can view current test results on our data page.
Learn more about COVID-19 testing in Marin County by visiting our Testing Information webpage.
Source: Marin HHS
Yes. Your personal information will not be not shared.
Test results are only shared with the referring healthcare provider and Marin Public Health.
Marin Public Health does not release any identifying information about individuals. The only information publicly reported is age range, race and gender. That information is shared on Marin's Coronavirus Data Page in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Learn more about COVID-19 testing in Marin County by visiting our Testing Information webpage.
When a COVID-19 case is confirmed, our Public Health team conducts a contact investigation (also known as contact tracing), which focuses on identifying, testing and isolating people with high or medium risk of infection from a confirmed case. The contact investigation will review the places and people the confirmed cases may have come into contact with during the time the case would have been infectious. Any people or places believed to be high or medium risk will then be contacted to proceed with testing and isolation.
Below is a table from the CDC, clarifying the types of exposure that might lead to infection. Most importantly, the CDC clarifies brief encounters in the community do not carry significant risk.
| Risk Level | Exposures Identified Through Contact Investigation |
|---|---|
| No Identifiable Risk | Interactions with a person who has symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 that do not meet any of the high-, medium-, or low-risk conditions below, such as walking by the person or being briefly in the same room. |
| Low Risk | Being in the same indoor environment (e.g., classroom, a hospital waiting room) as a person with symptomatic laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 for a period of time, but not meeting the definition of close contact |
| Medium Risk |
|
| High Risk | Living in the same household as, being an intimate partner of, or providing care in a nonhealthcare setting (such as a home) for a person with symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection without using recommended precautions for home care and home isolation |
If believe you have experienced a high or medium risk exposure to someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine yourself in your home and contact your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider, call (415) 473-7191.
Learn more about COVID-19 testing in Marin County by visiting our Testing Information webpage.
A nurse from Marin County Public Health will contact you and give you instructions on how to protect yourself and your family or anyone else in your household.
If you test positive, even if you do not feel sick, you should immediately isolate yourself in a room of your home away from anyone else you live with.
Follow your healthcare provider’s advice and take all hygiene and disinfectant precautions to prevent anyone else from getting sick. See the Quarantine and Isolation guidance for details.
Learn more about COVID-19 testing in Marin County by visiting our Testing Information webpage.
Anyone who is in close contact or thinks they have been exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19 should get tested as soon as possible.
For those who will be sharing the same household and are able to quarantine at home, the Public Health staff will give advice on how to stay safe and how long to stay home.
Once someone is recovered, if the rest of the household contacts are negative, it is safe for the person to return home and/or resume normal household activities.
The State of California has joined with County of Marin and OptumServe to expand testing for underserved communities. A dedicated testing site is available in San Rafael by appointment only. Make an appointment at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. If you do not have internet access, call: 1-888-634-1123. This site is open to uninsured, underinsured, undocumented and homeless individuals. If you have medical insurance, OptumServe will bill your insurance company. Tests for uninsured individuals will be paid for by the state.
The majority of people will have mild illness that is best treated at home. However, those with serious illness will be treated regardless of insurance status. Advisors will work with uninsured patients to find the best options for coverage.
Some resources for uninsured people include:
- Check with your local community health center or hospital to see if fees for testing can be waived.
- See if you’re eligible for Medi-Cal.
- See if you’re eligible for Covered California.
- See if you are eligible for care at a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center.
Source: Marin HHS, State of California
Marin Public Health's team of "contact investigators" play a crucial role in the COVID-19 response. This practice is commonly referred to as contact tracing.
When a person tests positive for COVID-19, the team calls the person to gather a list of close contacts who are at high risk of exposure. Everyone on that list is then contacted to arrange for testing and quarantine in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. While these close contacts are awaiting test results, they are commonly referred to as a Person Under Investigation (PUI).
In addition to gathering a list of close contacts, the contact investigation team evaluates symptoms and provides education regarding quarantine and/or isolation for COVID-19 infected persons, PUIs and any members of their households.
The video below from Marin's Public Health Officer provides additional information about how contact tracing works and why it is important.