COVID-19 Resource Center

COVID-19 Exposure

What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19:

If you have been exposed to COVID-19, or think you have been exposed, you can help prevent the spread of the virus to others in your home and community. Please follow the guidance below.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID-19?

The virus that causes COVID-19 most commonly spreads between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet, or 2 arm lengths). An infected person can spread the virus through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols. People most often get exposed by a household member or through close contact with another person. Close contact means that you have been within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period of time. Some people get COVID-19 without knowing how they were exposed.

PARTICIPATE IN A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVIEW

• If someone with COVID-19 tells public health they have recently been in close contact with you, you may hear from the Department of Public Health. An interviewer will help you understand what to do and what support is available. The interviewer will not tell you who gave them your name. If you later become ill, they will ask you for the names and contact information of people you were recently in close contact with to notify them about exposure. They will not share your name when they reach out to them.

I HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO TESTED POSITIVE COVID-19 BUT I AM NOT SICK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If You’re Not Yet Fully Vaccinated

You should quarantine at home and away from others (self-quarantine). Current quarantine recommendations are to stay in quarantine for 14 days after your last contact. This is the safest option. Monitor your symptoms during this time, and if you have any COVID-19 symptoms during the 14 days, get tested. Certain high-risk settings or groups should use the 14-day quarantine option:

• People who work or stay in an acute or long-term healthcare setting.
• People who work or stay in a correctional facility.
• People who work or stay in a shelter or transitional housing.
• People who live in communal housing such as dormitories, fraternities or sororities.
• People who work in crowded work situations where physical distancing is impossible due to the nature of the work such as in a warehouse or factory.
• People who work on fishing or seafood processing vessels.

If this is not possible, stay in quarantine for 10 days after your last contact, without additional testing. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms during the 10 days, stay in quarantine the full 14 days and get tested. Keep watching for symptoms until day 14.

Under special circumstances it may be possible to end quarantine after 7 full days beginning after your last contact if you have been without symptoms and after receiving a negative result from a test (get tested no sooner than 48 hours before ending quarantine.) This will depend on availability of testing resources. Keep watching for symptoms until day 14.

Consult your local health jurisdiction to find the best option for your individual circumstances.
 

If You Are Fully Vaccinated

See the When You're Fully Vaccinated Section below for information on quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals.

I HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 AND NOW I’M SICK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If you were exposed to COVID-19 and get symptoms, you should stay home and away from other people including household members and animals in your home (self-isolate), even if you have very mild symptoms. Contact your health care provider for a test. Tell them you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are now sick.

If somebody does not have a doctor or health care provider: many locations have free or low- cost testing, regardless of immigration status. See the Resources listed.

How Long Do I Need To Isolate Myself?

1. If you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and have symptoms, you can end home isolation when:

• It’s been at least 24 hours with no fever without using fever-reducing medication AND
• Your symptoms have improved, AND
• At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared.

1. If you test positive for COVID-19, but have not had any symptoms, you can end home isolation when:

• At least 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive COVID-19 test, AND
• You have had no subsequent illness.
  

MONITOR YOUR SYMPTOMS

Get medical help right away if your symptoms get worse. Before you get care, call your health care provider and tell them that you have COVID-19 symptoms. Put on a face covering before you enter the healthcare facility to protect others in the waiting room and exam rooms.

If you have a medical emergency and need to call 911, tell the dispatch staff that you have COVID-19 symptoms. If possible, put on a face covering before emergency services arrive.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO KEEP MY ILLNESS FROM SPREADING TO MY FAMILY AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY?

• Stay home, except to get medical care.
• Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, taxis, or ride sharing. Ask others to do your shopping or use a grocery delivery service.
• Call before you go to a healthcare provider and tell them you have COVID-19 or are being evaluated for COVID-19. Put on a face covering before you enter the building. These steps will help keep people in the office or waiting room from getting sick.
• Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home.
• As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people.
• Use a separate bathroom, if available.
• Wear a cloth face covering when you are around others. If you cannot wear a face covering, other people should wear a face covering when they enter your room.
  A cloth face covering is anything the completely covers your mouth and nose, and fits securely on the sides of your face and under your chin. It should be made of two or more layers of tightly woven fabric with ties or straps that go around your head or behind your ears. A face shield with a drape can be used by people with developmental, behavioral, or medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a cloth face covering. Face shields may also be used by children in childcare, day camp, and K-12 settings. In the workplace, masks or respirators may be required as they are more protective than cloth face coverings.
• Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends strategies to improve mask fitting to more effectively slow the spread of COVID-19.
  These strategies include wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask, using a mask fitter, or using a nylon covering over a mask. In addition, the public health authorities do not recommend the use of masks with exhalation valves or vents, or single layer bandanas and gaiters. 
• Restrict contact with pets and other animals while sick. When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals. If you must care for your pet, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face covering, if possible. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information.
• Don’t share personal items with people or pets, including dishes, drinking glasses, cups, utensils, towels, or bedding.
• Maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others at all times, even if using a mask.
• Clean your hands often. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with tissues. Throw away the used tissues and then wash your hands.
• Clean “high-touch” surfaces frequently, including counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe and follow the directions on the label.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE?

• Isolation is what you do if you have COVID-19 symptoms, are awaiting test results, or have tested positive for COVID-19. Isolation means you stay home and away from others (including household members) for the recommended period of time to avoid spreading illness.
• Quarantine is what you do if you have been exposed to COVID-19. Quarantine means you stay home and away from others for the recommended period of time in case you are infected and are contagious. Quarantine becomes isolation if you later test positive for COVID-19 or develop COVID-19 symptoms.

WHEN YOU’VE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your final dose, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention measures until you are fully vaccinated.
 
Per CDC recommendations, people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear face coverings or physically distance outdoors or indoors, except in these settings:

• Health care settings like hospitals, long-term care, or doctor’s offices
• Correctional facilities
• Homeless shelters
• Schools

The federal order requiring masks on public transportation still applies.

Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine or get tested if identified as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19 unless symptomatic. If symptoms develop, follow quarantine recommendations and get tested. Residents or employees of group settings, like a correctional or detention facility or group home, should quarantine and get tested if identified as a close contact regardless of vaccination status.

See the DOH guidance on masks and face coverings for complete information on the current mandates and health orders in place.

Refer to L&I for current information on face covering requirements in the workplace. Businesses retain the right to require masks in their establishments for staff and/or customers, and to ask for proof of vaccination.

MORE COVID-19 INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Stay up-to-date on the current COVID-19 situation in California, Governor Newson’s proclamations, symptoms, how it spreads, and how and when people should get tested.

A person’s race/ethnicity or nationality does not, itself, put them at greater risk of COVID-19. However, data are revealing that communities of color are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19- this is due to the effects of racism, and in particular, structural racism, that leaves some groups with fewer opportunities to protect themselves and their communities. Stigma will not help to fight the illness. Share accurate information with others to keep rumors and misinformation from spreading.

• CA State latest news on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• CA State Coronavirus Response (COVID-19)
• Find Your Local Health Department or District
• CDC Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Guide To Prevent And Addressing Social Stigma