Cotopaxi Consolidated Schools

What to do if you are sick guidelines from Fremont Public Health

Isolation:

If you have tested positive for COVID-19.

Isolation or self-isolation includes people who:

• Have a positive COVID-19 test.
• Have symptoms of COVID-19: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
• Are getting ill and think they might have COVID-19.  Symptoms, especially early on, may be mild and feel like a common cold. Early symptoms could include a combination of cough, body aches, fatigue, and chest tightness. Some people may not develop fever or fever may not appear until several days into the illness.

How long does it last?

•  Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate (stay home) for at least 5 days.
•  If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are improving and you do not have a fever you may leave your house after 5 days but should continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
•  If you still have a fever or your symptoms haven’t improved after 5 days you should be in isolation (stay away from others) until you have had no fever for at least 24 hours (without using medicine that reduces fevers)
•  If you had no symptoms when you tested positive but developed symptoms AFTER your test, you should continue to isolate for at least 5 days after your symptoms started and are improving as described above.
•  Health care workers may have to isolate for longer and should do what they are told by the health care facility they work for. People with severe illness or who are immunocompromised may require a longer period of isolation.

Quarantine:

Exposure happens when you have close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Close
contact means you have been within six feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes
over a 24-hour period. That doesn’t have to be 15 minutes in a row. If you were close to an
infected person for 5 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon on the same day,

you’ve had close contact with someone with COVID-19

How long should quarantining last?

• If you have recently completed your primary vaccination series (<6 months after the second shot of Pfizer or Moderna or <2 months after Johnson and Johnson) or have received a booster dose you do not need to quarantine (stay home) but should wear a mask around others for 10 days and get tested 5 days after exposure or immediately if symptoms develop.
• If you completed your primary vaccine and are eligible for a booster dose but have not yet received it or are unvaccinated you should quarantine (stay home) for 5 days after exposure and continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days. If you cannot quarantine you must wear a mask for 10 days after exposure. Get tested on day 5 or immediately if symptoms develop.

For 14 days after exposure, regardless of your quarantine length, you should:

•  Watch for symptoms of COVID-19.
•  If you have symptoms, immediately self-isolate and get tested.
•  Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, wash your hands, avoid crowds, and take other precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
•  Avoid contact with high risk individuals.