As COVID-19 spreads, people are asking why they need to quarantine for this disease.
Truth is – you only need to quarantine under certain circumstances, and those that are infected will need to isolate.
Quarantine and isolate have been used interchangeably; they are actually two separate things.
Quarantine is when a person was exposed to an illness (specifically COVID-19 here) and needs to stay inside their home for fourteen days waiting to see if they develop symptoms.
An exposure is being in close contact with a person who has tested positive.
Close contact means:
–Being within six feet of a person who is positive for COVID-19 more than 15 minutes
–Taking care of a person who tested positive
–Having any form of physical contact with someone who has COVID-19
–Sharing eating or drinking utensils with a person who tested positive
–Being sneezed on or coughed on by someone who has COVID-19
If you are concerned you might have been exposed, contact your personal physician for recommendations.
Alternatively, check TXCovidTest.org to see what options are available.
Isolation is when a person has tested positive, and needs to be alone, in one room of their home while avoiding all interaction with family and pets.
Once the person’s fever is normal for at least three days (with no fever medication), their respiratory symptoms subside, and ten days have passed since the onset of symptoms then they can leave isolation.
Symptoms can include a combination of:
–Fever
–Cough
–Shortness of Breath
–Chills
–Muscle Pain
–New loss of taste or smell
–Vomiting
–Diarrhea
–Sore Throat
To simplify, quarantine is for when you were exposed, but do not know if you are sick. Once you do know though, you need to isolate.
