Covid Is Not Over? Employer Guidelines for Employee Exposure

10 Days Running of the Clock
Isolation guidelines:
Ending Isolation:
Mask guidelines:
Table 1: Persons Who Should Isolate
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Sources:

As of May 24, 2023, the California Department of Public Health chose to follow the CDC guidelines with regard to isolation guidelines. Regardless of Vaccination Status, you should isolate if you are sick and suspect that you have Covid-19.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.

Currently, the CDC has included to following as possible symptoms:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
Net loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

10 Days Running of the Clock

If you have any of the following symptoms, you should also take a Covid test to determine if you have Covid-19. If you test negative, you can end your isolation. If you test positive, follow the isolation and masking recommendations below:

If you had no symptoms, you count 10 days from the first full day following the day you tested positive for isolation purposes. If you develop symptoms within 10 days from when you were tested, the 10-day clock restarts on the day following the day you developed symptoms.
If you had symptoms, you count 10 days after the first full day after the day your symptoms started.

Isolation guidelines:

If you test positive for Covid-19, stay home for at least 5 days and isolate others within your home, as you are most likely infectious during these first 5 days.

Ending Isolation:

The decision whether to end isolation depends on how serious your Covid-19 symptoms were.

If you had symptoms and:

Your symptoms are improving, you may end isolation after day 5 if you are fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication.
Your symptoms are not improving, continue to isolate until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your symptoms are improving.
If you had moderate symptoms (such as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) you need to isolate through day 10.
If you had severe illness (if you were hospitalized or have a weakened immune system) you need to isolate through day 10, consult a doctor before ending isolation, and may have to take a viral test before ending isolation.

Regardless of when you end isolation until at least day 11, you should:

Avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.
Remember to wear a high-quality mask when indoors around others at home and in public.
Do not go places where you are unable to wear a mask until you are able to discontinue masking (see below).

Mask guidelines:

Wear a mask through day 10
If you have an antigen test, if you test negative two times at least 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner than day 10.

After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation on day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.

Table 1: Persons Who Should Isolate

Persons Who Test Positive for COVID-19

Recommended Actions

Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection, or lack of symptoms.

Persons in healthcare settings** should follow recommendations and requirements as listed below.

Stay home (PDF) for at least 5 days after the start of symptoms (Day 0) or after the date of the first positive test (Day 0) if no symptoms).

- Isolation can end after Day 5 if:
= Sysymptoms 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 the fever resolves.

– If symptoms, other than fever, are not improving, continue to isolate until symptoms are improving or until after Day 10.

– If the confirmed case has severe symptoms or is at high risk of serious disease or has questions concerning care, they should contact their healthcare provider for available treatments.

– Infected persons should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings.*

- After you have ended isolation if your symptoms recur or worsen, get tested again, and if positive, restart isolation at Day 0.

*After ending isolation (no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving), confirmed cases may remove their mask sooner than Day 10 if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day 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.

Infected persons should notify close contacts to encourage them to get tested 3-5 days after exposure. Learn more on how to notify close contacts through the guidance on What to Do If You Test Positive for COVID-19.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Confirmed Covid-19 persons should isolate for at least 5 days.
If symptoms do not improve, then continue to isolate for 10 days, or unless the person receives two consecutive negative antigen test results at least 48 hours apart.