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Shasta County's Response to Local Emergencies

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Quarantine and Isolation Instructions

*The California Department of Public Health updated its quarantine and isolation instructions on December 30, 2021.

**The instruction on this page is intended for the general public. Public schools and Health Care Personnel in general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities have separate guidance.

What is Quarantine and Isolation?

Quarantine and isolation are proven public health interventions that help slow the spread of infectious diseases, like COVID-19. The instructions below explain what to do if you test positive or have been exposed to COVID-19.

Isolation:Separates people infected with a contagious disease from those who are not infected.

Isolation Instructions: What Does it Mean to be Isolated?

Quarantine: Keeps people who were exposed to a contagious disease away from others in case they become infected.

Quarantine Instructions: What Does it Mean to be Quarantined?

What to do when you test positive for COVID-19 - Isolation (Isolation Order)

Who

What To Do

Everyone (except healthcare workers):

  • People who are vaccinated or unvaccinated
  • People who have had COVID-19 in the past
  • People who test positive, but do not have symptoms
  • Stay home for at least 5 days and isolate
  • Isolation can end after day 5 if:
    • Symptoms are gone or getting better, AND
    • The person takes a COVID-19 test on day 5 and the results are negative (antigen test preferred).
  • If the person is unable or chooses not to test, isolation can end after day 10 if symptoms are gone or are getting better.
  • If the person has a fever, isolation should continue until the fever is gone.
  • If the person does not have a fever but has other COVID-19 symptoms that have not improved, continue to isolate until symptoms get better or until after day 10. 
  • Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially indoors.

What to do if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 - Quarantine (Quarantine Order)

Who

What To Do
  • People who are unvaccinated; OR
  • People who are vaccinated and booster eligible but have not yet received their booster dose.** (Refer to the CDC COVID-19 Booster Shots webpage for information on who is booster eligible)

**In the workplace (excluding healthcare personnel in general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities), employees not experiencing symptoms are not required to stay home from work if:

  • A negative test is obtained within 3-5 days after last exposure to a case.
  • The employee wears a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days.
  • The employee continues to have no symptoms.
  • Stay home for at least 5 days, after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19.
  • Test on day 5.
  • Quarantine can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present AND the test from day 5 comes back negative.
  • If the person is unable or chooses not to test, and they do not have symptoms, quarantine can end after day 10.
  • Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially indoors.
  • If the person tests positive, follow the isolation instructions above.
  • If symptoms develop while on quarantine, test and stay home.

Who does not have to quarantine when exposed to COVID-19?

Who

What To Do
  • People who have received their booster; OR
  • People who are vaccinated, but are not yet eligible for a booster. (Refer to the CDC COVID-19 Booster Shots webpage for information on who is booster eligible)
  • Test on day 5.
  • Wear well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially indoors.
  • If the person tests positive, follow the isolation instructions above.
  • If the person develops symptoms, test and stay home.

People who have been exposed to COVID-19, whether quarantined or not, should:

  • Consider getting tested as soon as possible and follow all isolation recommendations above if the test result is positive. Knowing this can help:
    • Get access to treatment options, if determined to be necessary by a medical provider (especially if the person may be at risk for severe illness.
    • Promptly identify close contacts who may also benefit from knowing if they have COVID-19.
  • If the person starts to have symptoms of COVID-19: 
    • Self-isolate and get tested as soon as possible (do not wait until 5 days after exposure to retest if the person starts having symptoms sooner).
    • Continue to isolate if the test result is positive, and contact your medical provider with any concerns or questions about available treatments. 

Contact Tracing

Contact tracing is a trusted public health practice that has been used for decades to identify and notify people who have been exposed to someone with an infectious disease.

If you get a text from 23393, it is the California COVID-19 Response Team. Contact tracers are reaching out to let you know you have been identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19. They will give you information to help keep you and your loved ones safe.

 

 

COVID-19 contact tracers will:

  • Notify you that you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and discuss possible next steps.
  • Ask how you are feeling and if you have symptoms.
  • Ask if you are vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the past.
  • Support you by providing information on how to get tested or vaccinated, as well as give you information on when to seek medical care, if needed.
  • Offer you supplies, resources or other kinds of help so you are able to quarantine or isolate.

COVID-19 contact tracers will NOT ask you for:

  • Information about your finances.
  • Your social security number.
  • Your immigration status.