Quarantine/Isolation Quick Reference:
IMPORTANT QUARANTINE UPDATE (5.7.21)
Effective Friday May 7th, The Midland County Department of Public Health will be returning to the requirement of a 10 day quarantine period for individuals who have been identified as close contacts for COVID-19 exposure. Midland County and the State of Michigan has seen a continued downward trend in community transmission the last several weeks. Anyone who is currently in quarantine can adjust their dates accordingly by subtracting 4 days from their previous end date. Please be advised that the CDC continues to recommend a 14 day quarantine as the best way to mitigate continued transmission. Individuals are advised to continue to be vigilant for symptoms and practice meticulous public health measures for the full 14 days after they are released after day 10 as there is a small chance that infection can still occur. Residents are urged to get vaccinated and continue to follow public health measures (such as social distancing, mask wearing, etc.).
Quarantine refers to preventing the spread of illness by separating individuals who have had close contact with someone with COVID-19. A close contact is an individual who was within 6 feet of a COVID-positive person for 15 minutes or more over a cumulative 24 hours, regardless of mask wearing. As of 4.5.21, a quarantine period is 14 days from last exposure. Quarantining means staying home (except to get medical care) and getting tested if symptoms develop.
Isolation for a positive COVID-19 case is 10 days from when symptoms start (or if someone is tested with no symptoms, the 10 day isolation begins on the date the test was done). People in isolation need to keep themselves away from others, including family members, until their isolation period is done.
Example for children: If a child is identified as a close contact and can not quarantine away from positive case (i.e. mom is positive and has a young child), then the child’s quarantine begins after the positive case’s isolation ends. This may result in the child being in quarantine for 24 days (10 days isolation of positive case + 14 days quarantine from last exposure).
More info can be found on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website.