LA County Dept. of Public Health Updated Guidance

Last updated 05.05.20

If you are showing signs of illness and/or you have been tested for COVID-19, you must self-isolate. Any individuals with signs of illness are presumed to have COVID-19 and do not need to be tested. Remain wherever you are as leaving could put others at risk.  

1. Identify all individuals you had close (within 6 feet) and sustained contact (at least several minutes) with starting two days prior to becoming symptomatic. Notify all those individuals that you are presumed or confirmed positive for COVID-19. Each of those individuals must self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of last exposure to you.
2. You must self-isolate for 10 days from your symptom onset and 72 hours after resolution of fever and symptom improvement, whichever is longer. If you tested positive, your self-isolation clock starts from the date you were symptomatic (not the date you received your positive results). 
3. If you were initially in self-quarantine and you started to experience symptoms mid-quarantine,  you should reset your self-isolation clock to zero on the day you first experienced symptoms; you must then self-isolate for an additional 10 days and 3 days of resolution of fever, whichever is longer. 
4. If testing is pursued through your medical provider and results are negative, you still need to isolate for 72 hours after resolution of fever and improvement of symptoms. 
5. Please refer to Home Care Instructions for Patients with Mild Respiratory Infection. Most persons with respiratory infection, including COVID-19, will have mild illness which can be treated with home care. If symptoms worsen, call your healthcare provider prior to visiting their office or hospital, and let them know you have had close contact to a patient with confirmed COVID-19. 

If you have been exposed to an individual who is confirmed or presumed to have COVID-19 and are not showing signs of illness or if you are returning from a Level 3 country, self-quarantine and minimize your exposure to others, including those in your family, for 14 days from your last date of exposure to the sick individual or last day of travel. Keep in mind that an individual can be contagious for two days prior to their first symptoms. The Department of Public Health advises you to monitor for signs of illness between now and the end of the 14-day period and urges you to strictly follow social distancing recommendations, even if you remain symptom-free during the monitoring period. Please keep in mind that testing is generally not available for those who are asymptomatic.  
 
During the monitoring period, you should:  

1. Stay indoors as much as possible. Limit activities outside the home or similar setting.
2. Keep your distance from others (minimum of 6 feet), and wear a mask when interacting with others (in your home). Do not leave your home unless absolutely necessary, and take precautions (like wearing a mask).
3. If possible, separate yourself from others in your home or similar setting who may be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.  
4.  If you experience even mild symptoms during the self-quarantine period, you are obligated to follow the self-isolation instructions above from the date of the onset of your symptoms, which would change your self-isolation end date. 
5. If you are away from your home when you must be quarantined, if you have not developed symptoms, you can go home only by private transportation. Ideally, you should drive by yourself, but if another person is driving, you need to make sure to maintain as much distance as possible from the driver and leave the windows down.