GC Health Department issues new guidelines

On Wednesday, the Greene County Health Department issued new COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines.

According to the Health Department, close contacts should quarantine, stay at home and get tested five days from the last date of exposure to a positive person. For those who are asymptomatic with negative test results in 48 hours, quarantine is seven days.

Or:

Stay at home for 10 days from the last day of contact with a positive case, without testing and no symptoms and continue to watch for any symptoms through day 14; if symptoms develop, get tested and continue to stay at home.

You are contagious up to 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms; therefore, when identifying close contacts, start with your activities 48 hours prior to the first day your symptoms appeared. If asymptomatic, consider your activities 48 hours prior to your test date for identifying close contacts. Isolation starts on the first day of symptoms or on the test date, if asymptomatic.

Quarantine starts on the date of last contact with a COVID-19 positive person.

You are considered a close contact if: you were within six feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more, been in a vehicle with someone, provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with the person, shared eating or drinking utensils or were sneezed or coughed on by someone who is COVID positive. Close contacts should self-monitor 14 days from exposure and follow quarantine guidelines.

Those waiting on test results need to isolate, as well as those who have tested positive. In addition, the isolation period is 10 days from symptom onset.

Individuals should have a resolution of symptoms and be fever free for 24 hours before isolation is complete. Those with no symptoms are asked to isolate 10 days from the testing date, with the infectious period considered to be 48 hours prior to symptoms. Those without symptoms should isolate for 10 days from the testing date.