What to Do if You Have Had Close Contact With a Person With COVID-19

What to Do if You Have Had Close Contact With a Person With COVID-19

To protect yourself, your family, and your community, you must separate yourself from others, get tested and watch yourself for symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell. Follow these instructions for at least 14 days after the last day you were in close contact with the person who has COVID-19.

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Separate yourself from others

• Stay home. If you need medical care, it is important that you follow the instructions below. Do not go to work, school, or any other place outside the home.
• Stay away from people who may be at high-risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, including older adults, those living in long-term care facilities, and people with health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, severe obesity, and those who have weakened immune systems.
• If you become sick, separate yourself from other people in your home. As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Use a separate bathroom, if available.
• Do not use public transportation, ride-sharing (such as Uber or Lyft), or taxis.
• Wear a face mask if you need to be around other people, and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Wash hands thoroughly.
• Avoid sharing personal household items. Do not share food, dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home. After using these items, wash them thoroughly with soap and water.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

Get tested

• Contact your health care provider or visit the Minnesota COVID-19 Response website (https://mn.gov/covid19/for-minnesotans/if-sick/testing-locations/index.jsp) to find testing times and locations near you. Get tested even if you do not have symptoms. If your test results are positive, follow recommendations for cases of COVID-19. You may need to remain at home for longer than 14 days. Even if your results are negative, you need to stay home for 14 days. If you develop symptoms after testing negative, get tested again.

STAY HOME.

It is possible to get COVID-19 up to 14 days after having contact with someone who has COVID-19. Stay home and away from others for 14 days. The 14 days begin the day after you last had contact with the person who has COVID-19. Even if you have a negative COVID-19 test during that time, you need to stay home for the full 14 days. It can take 2-14 days for COVID-19 to develop, so even if you test negative once, you could still develop COVID-19 later and spread it unknowingly.

Fill in your information to know when you can go back to your normal activities.

I last saw the person with COVID-19 on ________ (fill in date). This means I need to stay home and away from others through _________ (14 days after last day of contact with the person with COVID-19).

Minnesota Department of Health | health.mn.gov | 651-201-5000 | 625 Robert Street North PO Box 64975, St. Paul, MN 55164-0975

Contact [email protected] to request an alternate format. | 10/26/2020