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Dec 03

How Long Should You Quarantine if Exposed to COVID-19?

Posted on December 3, 2020 at 3:20 PM by Heather Smith

On December 2, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reiterated its endorsement of 14 days of quarantine for close contacts of a person with COVID-19, but provided options to localities to consider shorter quarantine periods based on local circumstances and resources. You may have heard about this as this topic was widely reported in the news, which may cause some confusion over just how long you should quarantine if you are exposed to a person who has COVID-19. 

At this time, there are no change to the quarantine guidelines in our community. Consistent with the CDC’s and Virginia Department of Health’s current guidelines, the Loudoun County Health Department continues to recommend that people who have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 stay home and away from others for 14 days after the last contact with the person who has COVID-19. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of a COVID-19 positive person for a cumulative period of at least 15 minutes over a 24 hour period.

Learn more about when to quarantine on the CDC’s website. 

Stay Vigilant

COVID-19 continues to spread throughout our region. It will take each one of us, doing our part, to slow the spread of the virus and lessen the impact of the pandemic on our community. Please remember to practice these COVID-19 prevention steps every day:
  • Wear a face covering in public, even if you do not feel sick.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water frequently (use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available). 
  • Avoid close contact with people outside your household. Stay 6 feet apart at all times and avoid crowds of people.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces daily.
  • Monitor your health daily; be on alert of symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever and cough.
  • Get a flu vaccine.
Learn more about how to protect yourself and others. 

Stay Informed
Loudoun County encourages residents to stay informed about about the impact COVID-19 has on our community.
  • Visit loudoun.gov/coronavirus for more information about how to protect yourself and your family and to sign up for email and text updates on COVID-19.
  • Opt in to receive text messages:
    • English: Text LCCOVID19 to 888777
    • Spanish: Text LCCOVIDESP to 88877
Residents with questions about COVID-19 may call the Loudoun County Health Department’s information line, 703-737-8300, or send an email.   

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