How to quarantine after travel amid COVID-19 during the holidays - Los Angeles Times

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If you traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s time to go into quarantine.

Specifically, if you went out of state, California has issued a travel advisory recommending that you quarantine for 14 days. If you had prolonged exposure to anyone outside of your household or existing pandemic pod, it’s a good idea to self-quarantine as well.

Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and former director of the division of communicable disease control and prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said people should think of quarantine as the middle position between isolation (what you do when you know you are infected) and “normal” pandemic life (where you might venture outdoors while masked and maintaining social distance).

Sometimes, when you see or hear a word a lot, it starts to lose its meaning. Such is the case with “quarantine.” Here’s a very short FAQ about what you need to be doing to appropriately self-quarantine.

What does it mean to self-quarantine? Stay at home, in your home, without going anywhere else or seeing anyone from outside your household, for 14 days.

The whole point of quarantining is to sequester yourself so that if you are infected, you do not infect anyone else. Take the phrase “stay at home” literally.

What if I need something essential, like food or medicine? If you absolutely need something, have it delivered. To avoid potentially infecting the delivery person, have them leave your package outside your closed front door, wait for them to leave, and wear a mask when you open your door to pick it up. Tip well.

What if I really need to leave the house to do something else? Kim-Farley said remaining on your property still technically counts, so you can take the dog out back for a bathroom break or take out the trash while you’re wearing your mask. Other than that, the only valid reason to leave the premises is for a doctor’s appointment, he said.

The goal here is to avoid any chance of being around other people. That means no visitors, even if they’re just stopping by for a few minutes. No outside exercise beyond your property. No going places, even if you’re just popping by the store for a couple of things or picking up takeout or running a super-quick errand.

What if I have to go to work? There is no such thing as “self-quarantining except for work.” If you are leaving the house and going to your workplace, you are potentially exposing co-workers and customers to the virus. You may be eligible for paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

What if I take a test? Testing does not exempt you from quarantining at any point in those 14 days. A negative test is not a hall pass to do whatever you want. You can test negative for the coronavirus, still be incubating it, and then the next day be contagious. Testing negative a few days into quarantine may indicate that the viral load has not reached detectable levels yet. The only day you can take a test and know you’re negative for sure is on Day 14.

What if I start to feel sick? If you start to exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, it’s even more important that you avoid others as much as possible. Contact your doctor and let them know what’s going on and ask if they should have a test ordered. If you test positive, contact anyone you saw when you were traveling and tell them. If your symptoms are mild, follow your doctor’s advice. Depending on your medical condition, you may not need to go to the hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face.

This all seems really strict. I’m bored. If you don’t want to be restricted to your house for two weeks, don’t travel out of state. Remember, we have to do this strange and different holiday season only once. Hope is on the horizon.

Five things you need to know about COVID-19

UPDATED Oct. 2, 2020 | 5:15 PM

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

A lot of them are the same as symptoms of a cold or the flu: cough, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, fatigue, muscle or body aches, fever or chills, and shortness of breath. A person with COVID-19 may also experience diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, or a new loss of taste or smell. In cases of serious illness, it can take time for symptoms to worsen.

How long does it take for symptoms to appear after a person is exposed to the coronavirus?

The first symptoms can appear in as few as two days, but it can also take as long as two weeks, according to the CDC. An incubation period of four or five days is more typical. However, a significant proportion of people who are infected — perhaps as much as 45% — never develop any symptoms, researchers say.

What should I do if I think I'm infected?

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or you’ve been in close contact with someone who has it, the CDC recommends that you get a coronavirus test. Until you get your test results, you should assume you are infected. That means staying at home as much as possible so that you don’t risk infecting others. Of course, if you’re having a medical emergency, don’t be afraid to call 911.

Some diagnostic tests look for genetic evidence of the virus in a sample of saliva or a specimen collected from the nose or throat. Others can detect specific coronavirus molecules that prompt the immune system to produce infection-fighting antibodies.

How can I reduce my risk of infection?

Limit contact with people outside of your household. When you do go out, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth and stay at least six feet away from others whenever possible. Clean your hands frequently by using soap and water for 20 seconds or a sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are dirty. At home, clean and disinfect tables, doorknobs, faucets and other frequently touched surfaces once a day.

How did the pandemic start?

Scientists think it began with a close relative of the novel coronavirus that has been circulating in bats and other animals for so long that it no longer makes them sick. That virus must have gained a key mutation that allowed it to infect humans. Health officials in China reported the first cases of the respiratory illness that came to be known as COVID-19 in December 2019. The first known case in Los Angeles was in January. California has had more than 800,000 confirmed cases since.

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