Cooper County Public Health

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Questions and Answers Regarding COVID-19 -19 Quarantine Modification

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Questions and Answers Regarding COVID-19 -19 Quarantine Modification

The change in reduction of quarantine days from fourteen to ten to seven days is a result of mathematics and risk calculations. The incubation of the COVID-19- 19 disease remains at 14 days. To obtain a compromise to reduce economic and educational hardships the Centers for Disease Control has been able to identify that most exposed individuals convert to COVID-19 positive between day five and seven. Each day after day seven the percentage of positive COVID-19 conversions reduce. Therefore, after day ten your chances of turning positive becomes small.

 

Covid-19 Quarantine and Testing adjustments

     In response to the recent Centers for Disease Control changes the Cooper County Public Health will support the following changes:

  1. A fourteen-day quarantine for individuals exposed to covid-19 may be reduced to seven days under the following conditions:
  2. The exposed individual must be symptom free and receive a negative nasal pharyngeal PCR or rapid NASAL test on day seven or later. The test results must be submitted to the local school district, employer, or to our office before a letter of quarantine release may be issued from our office.
  3. Testing on day 5 will not be accepted by the Cooper County Public Health Center due to increased risk of developing COVID-19 between 5-7 days from exposure.
  4. All persons known to be exposed to COVID-19 are expected to wear during the entire fourteen-day period regardless of whether they choose to test at day 7 or not.
  5. Individuals who choose not to test at day seven may complete quarantine after day ten (provided they do not have any symptoms). However, they must wear a mask through day fourteen.
  6. If at any time during the fourteen-day period if symptoms occur the individual must leave work or school immediately and get tested before returning to work or school. Masks must be worn during the quarantine period.
  7. If your work or school facility requires masking. The completion of quarantine does NOT relieve you of the obligation to follow work or school place masking policies.
  8. The Cooper County Public Health Center provides PCR testing free of charge by appointment for Cooper County residents only. Priority patients for testing will be for symptomatic patients.
  9. Individuals wanting to test out of quarantine on day seven should call after 10:00AM each day for an appointment if there are open testing slots available.
  10. Starting January 1, 2021 Individuals whose employers require weekly and bi-weekly surveillance testing will no longer be provided by the CCPHC. Those employers and employees need to find a private testing facility to meet their employment needs.

Thank you very much.

Melanie Hutton RN, MSN

Administrator