Arkansas Department of Health

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COVID-19 Guidance for Self Home Quarantine

WHAT IS QUARANTINE?

Quarantine is an important way to stop the spread of COVID-19. It means staying home and away from others after you have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

If you are a close contact to a person with COVID-19, you need to quarantine for 14 days from the time of the exposure. Close contact, generally, means you were within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 minutes total while they were infectious. COVID-19 patients are considered infectious two days before their symptoms started, or two days before their positive test if they do not develop symptoms. All close contacts should get tested for COVID-19 by PCR test about five (5) days after the last exposure to the positive person.

If you are a close contact, you need to quarantine even if you don’t feel sick and even if you have received a negative test for COVID-19.

LENGTH OF QUARANTINE

The incubation period of the virus that causes COVID-19 is up to 14 days. Therefore, the quarantine period needs to last 14 days from the most recent exposure to the positive patient. If you are exposed again during quarantine, the 14-day period must start over again.

If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period, you must follow the instructions for isolating yourself.

RESTRICTIONS DURING QUARANTINE

• Remain at home and avoid all public activities. This means do not go to work, church, school, stores (including grocery stores), nor any public events or places.
• Do not have visitors in your home.
• If you live in a home with other people, stay in a separate room. If that is not possible, wear a face mask when you are in the same room as others and stay at least 6 feet away from them (i.e. practice social distancing even in your home).
• Wash your hands and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer often. Do not share personal items such as dishes, cups, forks, spoons, towels, etc.
• Do not leave your home except to get urgent or emergency medical care. If you need to see a doctor for reasons other than a medical emergency, please call your medical provider ahead of time to make proper arrangements.
• In the event of a medical emergency, call 911. Tell them that you are in home quarantine due to possible COVID-19 exposure. Keep a face mask on until a health care provider asks you to remove it. If you do not have a mask, use a folded kerchief or other similar device to cover your nose and mouth.
• Do not use any public transportation (buses, taxis, ride share services, or airplane).
• Check yourself for fever twice a day. This means taking your temperature in the morning and before bed at night and writing down the reading each time. The ADH will need this information to determine when you are able to resume normal activities or if you need additional care.
• If you begin to have symptoms such as fever, cough, or trouble breathing, or if you otherwise feel sick, contact your health care provider.

Additional Help:

For immediate sheltering needs for people who are homeless or displaced or cannot safely quarantine at home, please call (501) 661-2136. For all other issues, contact the ADH call center at (800) 803-7847.

• Click here for Self Home Quarantine Guidance | Spanish
• Quarantine required after exposure to COVID-19 even with negative test​

CALCULATING LENGTH OF QUARANTINE

SCENARIO 1: No additional exposures

I was exposed on August 1, entered into quarantine immediately and was not exposed again.

August 1 + 14 days = August 15 is last day of quarantine.

August 16 = return to work/school.

 

SCENARIO 2: Infected person in household

The positive patient started home isolation on August 1 and I can avoid close contact with them even though we live in the same residence. As long as close contact is avoided:

August 1 + 14 days = August 15 is last day of quarantine.

August 16 = return to work/school

 

SCENARIO 3: Infected person in household with second exposure

The positive patient started home isolation on August 1, but I had contact with them again on August 5. Because of the second exposure, the quarantine period restarts then.

August 5 + 14 days = August 19 is last day of quarantine.

August 20 = return to work/school.

 

SCENARIO 4: Infected person in household with repeated exposure

I cannot avoid continued contact with a positive patient whose isolation period ends on August 9. The quarantine period extends 14 days beyond when the positive patient has been cleared to end isolation.

August 9 + 14 days = August 23 is last day of quarantine.

August 24 = return to work/school.