Your healthcare provider and local health department (LHD) will evaluate
whether you can be
cared for at home. If it is determined that you do not need to be hospitalized and can be isolated at home, you will be monitored by staff from your LHD. You should follow the prevention steps below until a healthcare provider or LHD says you can return to your normal activities.
Stay home except to get medical care
You should restrict activities outside your home,
except for getting
medical care. Do not go to work, school,
or public areas.
Avoid using public transportation.
Separate yourself
from other people and animals in
your home
People: As much as possible,
you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom,
if available. It is especially important to stay away from persons
who are elderly or have underlying chronic
diseases, as they are at higher risk of severe
disease.
Animals: You should restrict contact
with pets and other animals
while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would
around other people.
Avoid contact including petting,
snuggling, being kissed
or licked, and sharing food. Although there have
not
been
reports
of
pets
or
other
animals
becoming
sick
with
COVID-19,
it
is
still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.
When possible, have another
member of your household care for your animals while
you are sick.
If you must care for your pet or be around animals
while you are sick, wash your hands
before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information.
Call ahead before visiting your
doctor
If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider
and tell them that you have or may have COVID-
19. This will
help the healthcare
provider’s
office take steps
to keep other people from
getting infected or exposed.
Wear a face mask
You should wear a face mask when you are around other people
(e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) or pets and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a face mask (for example,
because it causes
trouble breathing), then people
who live with you should not stay in the same room with you, or they should wear a face mask if they enter your room.
Cover your coughs and sneezes
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues
in a lined trash can; immediately wash your hands with soap aAd water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer that contains 60% to 95% alcohol, covering
all surfaces of your hands and rubbing
them together until they feel dry. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
Clean your hands often
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based
hand sanitizer that contains 60% to 95% alcohol, covering
all surfaces of your hands and rubbing
them together until they feel dry. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed
hands.
Avoid sharing
personal household items
You should
not share dishes,
drinking glasses, cups, eating
utensils, towels, or bedding with other people
or pets in your home. After using these items, they should be washed
thoroughly with soap and water.
Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every
day
High
touch
surfaces
include
counters,
tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures,
toilets, phones, keyboards,
tablets, and bedside
tables should be cleaned every day. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning
spray or wipe,
according to the label instructions. Labels contain instructions for
safe and effective use of the cleaning product
including precautions you should take when applying
the product, such as wearing
gloves and making sure you have
good ventilation during
use of the product.
Monitor your
symptoms
Seek prompt medical attention
if your illness is worsening
(e.g., difficulty breathing)
and notify your LHD. Before seeking care, call your healthcare provider and tell them you have, or are being evaluated for, COVID-19. Put on a face mask before you enter the facility. This will help the healthcare provider’s office to keep other people in the office
or waiting room from getting
infected or exposed.
If you have a medical emergency
and need to call 911, notify the dispatch personnel
that you have, or are being evaluated for COVID-19. If possible, put on a face mask before emergency
medical services arrive.
Discontinuing home isolation
Patients with confirmed COVID-19
should remain under
home isolation precautions until the risk of secondary
transmission to others
is thought to be low.
The decision to discontinue home isolation precautions should be made on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with healthcare providers
and state and local
health departments.
Recommended precautions for household members,
intimate partners, and caregivers
Household members,
intimate partners, and caregivers in a non-healthcare setting may have close contact with a person with symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19
or a person under
investigation. They should follow these precautions:
• Make sure that you understand and can help the patient follow their healthcare provider’s instructions for
medication(s) and
care.
You should help the patient with basic needs in the home and provide support for getting groceries, prescriptions, and other personal
needs.
• Monitor the patient’s symptoms.
If the patient is getting sicker, call his or her healthcare provider and let
them know the patient
has or is being evaluated
for COVID-19. If the patient
has a medical emergency and you need to call 911, notify the dispatch personnel that the patient has, or is being evaluated for COVID-19.
• Household
members should stay in another
room or be separated from the patient as much as possible.
Household members should use a separate
bedroom and bathroom,
if available.
• Prohibit visitors
who do not have an essential need to be in the home.
• Household members
should care for any pets in the home. Do not handle pets or other animals while sick. For more information, see COVID-19 and Animals.
• Perform hand hygiene frequently. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at
least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60% to 95% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed
hands.
• You and the patient should
wear a face mask if you are in the same room.
• Avoid sharing household items with the patient.
You should not share dishes,
drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils,
towels, bedding,
or other items. After the patient uses these items, you should wash them
thoroughly.
• Clean all “high-touch”
surfaces,
such as counters,
tabletops,
doorknobs,
bathroom
fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables,
every day. Also, clean
any surfaces that may have blood, stool,
or body fluids on them.
• Discuss any additional questions with your state or local health department
or healthcare provider.
• Close contacts
should monitor their health; they should call their healthcare provider right away if they develop symptoms
suggestive of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness
of breath) and share that they
have been in contact with an individual known or suspect of having COVID19.