CDC UPDATES GUIDANCE SHORTENING QUARANTINE PERIOD

Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health issues Technical Bulletin reflecting updated guidance from CDC

CDC UPDATED GUIDANCE FOR REDUCING QUARANTINE PERIOD FOR CONTACTS OF PERSONS WITH COVID-19 INFECTION

This bulletin is intended for employers and businesses; health care providers; and public health officials managing persons who could have been exposed to COVID-19 and undergoing quarantine. The bulletin describes the newly revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shorten the required quarantine period for individuals with recent exposure history to COVID-19 from 14 days down to 7 days with negative testing, OR for 10 days if testing is not available.

The new guidelines allow individuals who have come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 to resume normal activity after 10 days, or 7 days if they tested negative starting on day 5 of the quarantine. This includes, but is not limited to, at home quarantine, in a hotel or dormitory room, or in a group quarantine facility.

Most recent CDC Guidelines NO longer recommend 14 days for quarantined individuals. CDC just shortened the quarantine period required for individuals with recent history of exposure to COVID-19 from 14 days down to 7 days from the date of the most recent exposure, as long as they remain asymptomatic and receive a negative test on or after day 5 of the exposure. When testing is not available, individuals who were exposed to COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic must be quarantined for 10 days from the time of their most recent exposure.

Background
Maximum incubation period for individuals exposed to COVID-19 who contracted and developed the infection is thought to extend up to 14 days from their most recent exposure. However, recent data analysis demonstrated that most of those exposed to COVID-19 who later developed the infection did that on the third to fifth day after exposure.

Timely and appropriate quarantining of those who might have been exposed to COVID-19 is a proven effective public health measure to control and contain the spread of infections including COVID-19.

Although “quarantine and isolation” involve similar measures and both aim to prevent disease transmission through physical distancing, their purposes are quite different. “Quarantine” implies the restriction of activities or the separation of persons who are NOT yet ill, but might have been exposed to an infectious agent, with the objective of regularly monitoring their symptoms to determine if they contracted and developed the infection and to ensure early detection of cases. On the other hand, “isolation” is the separation of those who are already ill, in order to prevent the spread of infection or contamination.

Reporting
Health care providers should immediately notify both infection control personnel at their health care facility and their local/state health department in the event of a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19.

• Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH): (775)-684-5911 (M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM); (775) 400-0333 (after hours)
• Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD): (702)-759-1300 (24 hours)
• Washoe County Health District (WCHD): (775)-328-2447 (24 hours)
• Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS): (775)-887-2190 (M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM); (775)-887-2190 (after hours)

For More Information:

Please contact DPBH M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at (775)-684-5911. The after-hours line can be contacted at (775)-400-0333.

Lisa Sherych, Administrator
​Division of Public and Behavioral Health

Ihsan Azzam, Ph.D., M.D.
​Chief Medical Officer