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This guidance is based on California Department of Public Health’s Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine for the General Public which is in alignment with CDC recommendations. This guidance does not apply to healthcare / emergency medical service settings. In addition, workers should check with their employers about specific CalOSHA requirements.
Help Slow The Spread
COVID-19 can easily spread between people who are in close contact with one another. To help slow COVID’s spread, protect vulnerable individuals, and prevent the healthcare system in the County of Marin from being overwhelmed, it is important for people who have been infected to isolate themselves from others.
If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, stay home and get tested as soon as possible.
Everyone 12 years and older who has symptoms and tests positive for COVID-19 should speak with a healthcare provider right away about treatment. COVID-19 treatments have been shown to be highly effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Treatments must be taken early, within 5-7 days of when symptoms begin.
ISOLATION: Persons Who Test Positive
for COVID-19
All persons who test positive for COVID-19 (at-home or lab test), regardless of vaccination status, previous infection, or lack of symptoms should isolate themselves from others for at least 5 days. Isolation separates sick people and those who have tested positive for COVID-19 from people who are not sick. Isolation is important to prevent spreading the disease to others, including family, co-workers, friends and neighbors.
Recommended Actions:
- Stay home for at least 5 days after the start of symptoms (Day 0) or after the date of first positive test (Day 0) if no symptoms.
- Isolation can end after Day 5 if:
- Symptoms are not present, or are mild and improving; AND
- You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication).
- If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after fever resolves (without the use of fever-reducing medication).
- If symptoms, other than fever, are not improving, continue to isolate until symptoms are improving or until after Day 10.
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings (see masking guidance below).
- After ending isolation, if symptoms recur or worsen, test again and if positive, restart isolation at Day 0.
- If symptoms are severe, or you are at high risk of serious disease or have questions concerning care, contact your healthcare provider for available treatments.
- Notify close contacts to encourage them to get tested 3-5 days after exposure.
Masking guidance: Wearing a well-fitting mask is important to protect others through 10 days after your infection starts. After ending isolation, confirmed cases may remove their mask sooner than Day 10 if they have two sequential negative tests (antigen test preferred) at least 24 hours apart. If antigen test results are positive, the person may still be infectious and should continue wearing a mask and wait at least one day before taking another test.
Note: this masking guidance is applicable to the general public, but workers must follow CalOSHA rules.
Children under 2 years of age should not mask due to suffocation risk.
For more information on masking, please see Get the Most Out of Masking.
For more information on Isolation at Home and When to Seek Care, please see California Department of Public Health’s Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine for the General Public.
CLOSE CONTACTS
Quarantine (separating and restricting the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become infected) is no longer required for persons who are exposed to COVID-19.
An exposed person (close contact) is someone who shared the same indoor space (e.g., home, clinic waiting room, airplane, etc.) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period with someone who has COVID-19 during their infectious period. Someone with COVID-19 can spread the virus 2 days before the start of symptoms or 2 days before a positive test was taken, if no symptoms.
If you have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, you do NOT have to quarantine. If you develop symptoms, you should isolate yourself from others and test right away.
Recommended Actions:
- Take a COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days after being exposed*;
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days, especially in indoor settings and when near persons at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease (see masking guidance below);
- Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines;
- Monitor yourself closely for symptoms for 10 days:
- If you develop symptoms, stay home and away from others until you can take a COVID-19 test. If your first test is negative, wait 24 to 48 hours and take another test since some people with COVID-19 don’t test positive right away.
- If your COVID-19 test is positive, follow ISOLATION guidance above.
- People who live, work or visit places that are high-risk for severe COVID-19 spread or have vulnerable populations (e.g. nursing home, homeless shelters), should follow additional guidance from the facility.
*Close contacts who were previously infected in the last 30 days do not need to test unless symptoms develop. Close contacts who were previously infected in the last 31–90 days should test using an antigen test, even if asymptomatic and regardless of vaccination status, given the increased transmissibility and increased repeat infections with the circulating Omicron variant and the higher likelihood that they may be infected.
Note: While you are not required to quarantine, consider avoiding people at high-risk for severe COVID-19 disease for 10 days, including older adults, people living with chronic conditions, those with conditions that weaken their immune systems, and people who are unvaccinated.
Masking guidance: Wearing a well-fitting mask for 10 days after an exposure is important to protect others. For more information on masking, please see Get the Most Out of Masking.