How long do you have to quarantine after testing positive

To avoid transmitting COVID-19 to others, stay at home if you have COVID-19 or if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Table of Contents Show

If You Test Positive for COVID-19
Notify Your Employer
While You Are at Home
If You Have Been Exposed to Someone Who Has COVID-19

If You Test Positive for COVID-19

Try mAb (monoclonal antibody) treatment if your symptoms are mild to moderate, or you are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Full details

It is important that you protect yourself and others from infection, especially those persons at high risk. Based upon the risk to others, the Mississippi State Department of Health recommends the following:

Isolate

Immediately self-isolate at home.
Do not go to work or leave your home for at least 5 days. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house.
Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days after you end your home isolation.
If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.

Notify Your Employer

Please let your employer know that you have tested positive for COVID-19, and will not be able to return to work until your isolation period ends.

While You Are at Home

Stay away from all persons at your home. Do not leave your house, or come in contact with anyone, including the people you live with.
If you do have household contacts, you must limit exposure to them. Stay in a specific room away from others in your home. You should use a separate bathroom if available. If you need to be around others in your home, you should wear a facemask. This is very important to minimize the risk of spreading the disease to your family and friends. Additional information for what to do when you are sick can be found in the CDC's guidance if you are sick or caring for someone.
Please make sure that the people in your house or other close contacts read our guidance for individuals with COVID-19 exposure.

Handout: Guidance for individuals with COVID-19 infection PDF

More about isolation from the CDC

If You Have Been Exposed to Someone Who Has COVID-19

Any exposed individual who develops symptoms should get tested and immediately isolate at home, regardless of vaccination status.

If you think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please follow the protective guidance from the CDC: Wear a mask around others, get tested at least 5 days after your exposure, and watch for symptoms.

Additional considerations:

If you live in a household with a person who is a confirmed case of COVID-19, your last exposure is when is when you last had contact less than 6 feet from them for 15 minutes or more.
During the 5-day quarantine at home you may be allowed to continue to work if your employer says you are essential, and you continue to have no symptoms, have your symptoms and temperature monitoring by your facility, and wear a mask while you are at work and around others. Contact your employer for approval.
If you do return to work, you should continue to self-quarantine at home at all other times.

What happens after a positive test?
If I don’t have symptoms, why won’t you do a second test to confirm that the first was not a “false positive?”
How long will I have to isolate after a positive test?
I’ve tested positive for COVID-19 infection; how soon do I need to be tested again?
What is a “close contact?”
I’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive; how long do I need to self-quarantine?

A positive PCR test has implications for both that individual and their close contacts. Here’s what happens in each case.

I have no symptoms.	Isolate for at least 5 full days after first positive test. Then wear a well-fitting mask at all times around others for an additional 5 days.
I have symptoms of COVID-19.	Isolate for at least 5 full days after symptom onset and until fever free for at least 24 hours. Then wear a well-fitting mask at all times around others for an additional 5 days.
I am a close contact, and I am:	Fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible or tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days: No quarantine necessary. Get tested at least 5 days post exposure or if symptoms develop; self-monitor daily for symptoms through Day 10. Unvaccinated or vaccinated but not up to date on COVID-19 vaccination including booster: Quarantine for at least 5 full days from last potential exposure; Get tested 5 days post exposure or if symptoms develop; self-monitor daily for symptoms through Day 10.

In all cases, if you tested positive on your own home test or a test taken outside of MIT Medical, you should report your positive test result in Covid Pass or on Atlas.

August 30, 2022

Public health authorities consider a positive PCR test to be a true positive, so a subsequent negative test would not change the requirement for isolation. Research has shown that infected individuals may be asymptomatic but still able to spread the virus.

December 21, 2021

At least 5 days. If you are:

Asymptomatic: Isolate for 5 days after the first positive test. Then wear a well-fitting mask at all times around others for another 5 days,
Symptomatic: Isolate for at least 5 days after symptom onset or until you have been fever free for at least 24 hours, whichever is longer. Then wear a well-fitting mask at all times around others for another 5 days,

January 11, 2022

Once you’ve tested positive for the virus, you do not need to be tested again for 90 days from symptom onset, if you became ill, or from the date of your positive test, if you remained asymptomatic.

However, if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 during that three-month period, and if clinicians cannot identify another cause for these symptoms, you may need to be re-tested at that time.

January 21, 2021

The CDC defines a “close contact” as “someone who was within six feet of an infected individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.”

October 21, 2020

If you have a known exposure to the virus, CDC guidelines require that you wear a high-quality mask or respirator for the next 10 days any time you are around others inside your home or indoors in public spaces. You should be tested at least 5 days following the date of your exposure and, regardless of the results, continue masking for 10 days. If you develop symptoms, you should self-isolate and be tested as soon as possible.

August 30, 2022