What should i do if exposed to someone with covid?
The guidance for Children and Staff School, Childcare, and Camp settings is the most up-to-date guidance for children and staff in those settings. This guidance replaces all previously issued guidance by DESE and EEC. There is also setting specific guidance for healthcare workers and long-term care facilities.
No. A PCR test is not necessary or recommended to confirm a positive result on a rapid antigen test. Rapid antigen tests have a low rate of false positives. As a result, a person who tests positive on a rapid antigen test, almost certainly has COVID-19 and must follow isolation guidance.
If a person with COVID-19-like symptoms tests negative on a rapid antigen test, DPH recommends repeating an antigen test in 48 hours. Alternatively, these individuals could consider getting a PCR test. In the meantime, while waiting to take the additional rapid test or while waiting for the PCR results (which can take 24-72 hours) these individuals should assume they are positive and follow the isolation guidance.
While PCR tests were the first tests available and the most commonly used COVID-19 diagnostic tool up to this point, rapid antigen tests are now more widely available, and have clear advantages over PCR tests in many contexts.
Rapid antigen tests (such as at-home testing kits) can be easily used, and the results are available in as few as 15 minutes. Because antigen tests can be done anywhere and do not require laboratory analysis or trained personnel to collect the sample, they are convenient and accessible.
Please refer to the Guidance About COVID-19 Testing for more details on different test types and recommendations for use.
No. In most cases, a public health authority does not need to be notified of a positive COVID-19 test. People should stay home and notify individuals they may have exposed to COVID-19.
Some sectors (e.g. schools, licensed daycare settings, long term care facilities, and other congregate care facilities) have specific reporting requirements and should continue to follow their established procedures for state and local notification of positive cases.
No. The Department of Public Health’s protocols do not require a test or return to work or school letter for asymptomatic exposed individuals or anyone returning from isolation; clearance letters are not necessary, and this requirement is discouraged. Neither local boards of health nor the Department of Public Health provide these letters and, if required, employees would need to obtain any return to work letters from their health care provider. If an employer chooses to require testing, a PCR should not be required.
If you test positive you must isolate – whether or not you are vaccinated. This isolation means you must be alone, without direct contact with anyone else, until you can no longer spread the virus.
If your symptoms are not resolving on Day 6 then you should continue to isolate until your symptoms are resolving or through Day 10. After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation at day 0.
If you have been exposed to COVID, you do not need to quarantine as long as you remain asymptomatic. You must wear a mask any time you are around others inside your home or indoors in public for the 10 days following your exposure, unless you are unable to mask*. Take a rapid antigen or PCR on day 6 or any time symptoms develop.
If you test positive, follow Isolation Guidance. For more information, please see CDC COVID-19 Exposure Guidance.
* You are unable to consistently wear a mask due to young age or medical or behavioral condition
Resources are available to support you if you're required to isolate or quarantine, and need medical, housing, food, or other assistance. If you need help getting resources to stay at home, call your local board of health.
People with COVID-19 are most able to spread it to others during the first 5 days of their infection but can also spread it up to 2 days before symptom onset or their positive test and for about 10 days after their positive test. If you were around someone during this time frame, especially if you spent over 15 minutes in close proximity to them, or doing activities that involved singing or shouting, you may have been exposed to COVID-19. Even if you were around that person for a shorter time frame, you should consider yourself an exposure, especially if you had direct contact with the respiratory droplets of that person (e.g., being coughed or sneezed on) while not wearing a mask or face covering. For more about understanding your risk of exposure, visit this CDC page.
* This is not a list of all symptoms. Please call your doctor for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
If you have just learned of a recent possible exposure to COVID-19, then someone you have been in close contact with has tested positive. They may have been able to spread the disease to you and others even before knowing they were sick themselves. Being exposed does not necessarily mean that you already have COVID-19 or will get COVID-19. It DOES mean you should take steps to help protect yourself and those around you in case you have been infected. You should watch your health closely for ten days after your last contact with someone who has tested positive to see if you develop any symptoms of COVID-19. Common COVID-19 symptoms include:
This list does not include all possible symptoms, and anyone can have mild to severe COVID-19 illness.
If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and you do not have any symptoms, you should take the following steps. These steps should be taken whether or not you have been vaccinated and boosted:
1. Test: Get tested 3–5 days following your last exposure date.
You may also consider testing as soon as possible to see if you are already infected. However, if you test negative before Day 3, test again at least one day later, during the 3–5 days after your last exposure.
You can use the Personalized Testing and Isolation Calculator to help figure out when you should isolate (stay home and away from others) and how long you should wear a mask.
2. Mask: Wear a well-fitting mask indoors around others (even at home), especially around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, for ten days after you were last exposed—even if your test is negative.
Choose a higher quality mask with a good fit (no gaps). See how to Get the Most Out of Masking and Masking Tips for Children (PDF).
3. Monitor for symptoms: Watch for COVID-19 symptoms for ten days after you were exposed. If you start to feel sick, test immediately and stay home (see below for what to do if you have symptoms).
4. Vaccinate and boost: You should also consider getting vaccinated or boosted if you have not done so yet. Although it will not prevent infection from your recent exposure, getting vaccinated or boosted is the best way to protect yourself from getting very sick from a future COVID-19 exposure.
Your employer, school, place of residence, or local health department may have different recommendations or requirements, especially if you live or work in a healthcare setting. See below for more information on when you may need to follow different guidelines.
*Day 0 is the day you were last around the person with COVID-19. Count from Day 1 (the day after your last exposure) and test during Days 3–5. You can use the Personalized Testing and Isolation Calculator to help figure out when to test.
1. Test: If you have symptoms, test right away. Use an antigen (at-home) test if you have tested positive in the past 90 days. Isolate (stay home and separate yourself from others) while waiting to find out if you are positive.
2. Mask: Even if you test negative, wear a well-fitting mask indoors around others (including at home), especially around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, for ten days from the time you were last exposed.
3. Monitor your symptoms: watch for worsening COVID-19 symptoms, especially if you are at risk for getting very sick from COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases.
Call 911 and seek emergency medical care immediately if you have (or someone else has) any emergency warning signs for COVID-19:
Call your healthcare provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
There are a number of ways you can test to see if you have COVID-19. Contact your health care provider, find a testing site in your community, or visit your local pharmacy to get an at-home antigen test. You can test yourself at home and get results in less than 30 minutes. Testing kits are available at most pharmacies, and you do not need a prescription. Learn more about types of tests and recommendations on the CDPH testing webpage. For more information on testing:
There are a few ways that you might be informed about a possible exposure to COVID-19. You may:
Your employer, school, place of residence, or local health department may have different recommendations or requirements.
Local health departments may continue to implement additional requirements that go beyond this statewide guidance based on local circumstances, including in certain higher-risk settings or during certain situations that may require additional measures (for example, during active outbreaks in high-risk settings).
In workplaces, employers and employees are subject to either the Cal/OSHA COVID Non-Emergency Regulations or the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard (PDF) and should consult those regulations for additional applicable requirements. In certain healthcare situations or settings and other covered facilities, services and operations, surgical masks (or higher filtration masks) are required.
