Health Tips for Quarantine

Have you or your family been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19? Did you recently travel to or from a high-risk area? If so, self-quarantining can play a huge role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19.   

You have likely heard the term “self-quarantine” used often in the last few weeks. To self-quarantine is to distance yourself from others for a certain amount of time. This prevents germs and disease from being spread from person to person.

Usually, self-quarantine would involve staying home and keeping distance between you and other members of your household.

If you may have been in contact with a person who has been diagnosed with or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, you should self-quarantine so that you don’t spread the disease to others. It is also recommended that anyone who has traveled from a high-risk area self-quarantines.

Self-quarantine is different from self-isolation. People need to self-isolate if they are already experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. However, some people can carry the virus without showing symptoms, so even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, but may have been exposed, you should self-quarantine until you can be sure you are not contagious.

Current recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that people self-quarantine for 14 days after being exposed to the virus. This is enough time to ensure that you are not contagious after being exposed.

Because COVID-19 is able to spread so easily from person to person, many people are already following social distancing guidelines and staying home as much as possible. Keep your family informed about how they can protect themselves and others from the virus. Teach your kids how to wash their hands well and cover their coughs. Stopping the spread of the virus is a team effort, and we can all play a part. If you do begin to experience symptoms, call your doctor to determine what the best recovery plan for you is.