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Recommendations for People who Have COVID-19 and Recommendations for People who were Exposed to COVID-19 (Contacts)
The Scioto County Health Department uses the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control) guidelines for for people who test positive for COVID-19 and for people who are exposed to COVID-19. The CDC changed their guidelines in August 2022.
The following are guidelines for the general public. (Note that the guidance for Healthcare Workers has not changed and may be stricter than the guidelines for the general public.)
If you tested positive for COVID-19, please see the CDC web page "Isolation and Precautions for People With COVID-19" (updated 8/11/22). In summary, if you have COVID-19, you should stay home and isolate for 5 full days AFTER your symptom onset date (or your test collection date, if you didn't have symptoms). Your "Day 0" is your symptom onset date, or test collection date if you had no symptoms. On Day 6, you may leave isolation as long as you have been fever-free (without fever-reducing meds) for at least 24 hours AND your other symptoms have significantly improved AND you wear a mask whenever you are around other people for another 5 days (through Day 10). Note that these are minimum recommendations. Your employer may have stricter criteria for return-to-work, so make sure you check with your employer.
If you have been exposed to COVID-19 (in contact with someone who has COVID-19), please see the CDC web page "What to Do if You Were Exposed to COVID-19" (updated 8/11/22). In summary, if you have been exposed to COVID-19, you no longer need to quarantine as long as you have no symptoms AND you wear a high-quality mask whenever you are around other people for at least 10 days AFTER your last date of contact with the positive person. (Your last date of contact is your Day 0.) If you develop symptoms, you should stay home, isolate, and get tested.
IMPORTANT:
The following are guidelines for the general public. (Note that the guidance for Healthcare Workers has not changed and may be stricter than the guidelines for the general public.)
If you tested positive for COVID-19, please see the CDC web page "Isolation and Precautions for People With COVID-19" (updated 8/11/22). In summary, if you have COVID-19, you should stay home and isolate for 5 full days AFTER your symptom onset date (or your test collection date, if you didn't have symptoms). Your "Day 0" is your symptom onset date, or test collection date if you had no symptoms. On Day 6, you may leave isolation as long as you have been fever-free (without fever-reducing meds) for at least 24 hours AND your other symptoms have significantly improved AND you wear a mask whenever you are around other people for another 5 days (through Day 10). Note that these are minimum recommendations. Your employer may have stricter criteria for return-to-work, so make sure you check with your employer.
If you have been exposed to COVID-19 (in contact with someone who has COVID-19), please see the CDC web page "What to Do if You Were Exposed to COVID-19" (updated 8/11/22). In summary, if you have been exposed to COVID-19, you no longer need to quarantine as long as you have no symptoms AND you wear a high-quality mask whenever you are around other people for at least 10 days AFTER your last date of contact with the positive person. (Your last date of contact is your Day 0.) If you develop symptoms, you should stay home, isolate, and get tested.
IMPORTANT:
- Please do not call the Health Department for a Release Letter to Return to Work. We will simply refer you to this page.
- Remember, your workplace may still have additional requirements before allowing you to return to work. Please check with your employer to make sure you have met their requirements before returning to work.