What should I do if
someone in my home
is sick from COVID-19?
publichealthmdc.com/coronavirus
Update December 10, 2020
Adapted from Wisconsin Department of Health Services
If someone in your home is sick from COVID-19, everyone in the household should pracce self-quaranne and self-
monitoring in order to protect yourself, your family, and your community.
How to quarantine
Stay home (or other locaon where you can be isolated
from others). This means do not go to work, school, daycare,
or public areas. If you need medical care, it is important you
follow the instrucons below. You may go out for necessies
such as food or medicaon if someone else cant bring them
over or you cant have them delivered. If you do go out,
wear a face covering and go during a me when there will
be fewer people.
Separate yourself from other people and animals in your
home. As much as possible, you should stay in a specic
room and away from other people in your home. If possible,
you should use a separate bathroom.
Avoid sharing personal household items. You should not
share dishes, drinking glasses, eang utensils, towels, or
bedding with other people in your home. Aer using these
items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and
water.
Wash your hands oen and pracce good hygiene.
Postpone all non-essenal medical appointments unl you
are out of quaranne. If you have an essenal
appointment during the quaranne, talk to your doctor
about how to arrange this.
Self-monitoring
If you have a thermometer, measure your temperature
twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.
Otherwise watch for symptoms of fever like feeling hot,
chills or sweats.
Watch for cough or diculty breathing.
How long to quarantine
You can develop COVID-19 anyme during the 14 days aer
your last close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
When quaranning, you should always monitor your
symptoms for 14 days aer your last exposure to COVID-19,
follow the guidance in the rst column, and get tested as
soon as possible if you develop symptoms. If posive, follow
isolaon guidance for people who test posive; if negave,
connue quaranning.
It is safest if you quaranne for 14 days aer your last
exposure. No test is required to end quaranne.
You do have other opons for quaranne. These opons
are to:
Quaranne for 10 days aer your last exposure. No test
is required to end quaranne. Monitor yourself for
symptoms unl 14 days aer your last exposure.
Quaranne and get tested for COVID-19 6 or 7 days
aer last exposure. If your test is negave, you could
end quaranne aer 7 days of quaranne. You must
have your negave test result before ending quaranne
and the test cannot be before day 6. Monitor yourself
for symptoms unl 14 days aer your last exposure.
If you develop symptoms or need
medical care
Contact your doctor to report your symptoms and see if
you need medical care. Do not go to your doctors oce
without contacng them rst.
Stay home unless you need emergency medical aenon.
Isolate yourself from others in your home, pracce good
hand hygiene, sanize surfaces in your home, and wear a
facemask if you need to be around other people.
If you need emergency medical aenon, call 911 and let
them know that you are being monitored for novel
coronavirus.
Revised December 10, 2020
publichealthmdc.com/coronavirus
If someone you live with has COVID-19, other people you live with might become sick too. That can make it difficult to determine when everyone
has finished their risk period for developing symptoms.
Use this if people who tested positive are not able to separate themselves from other people you live with. If people who tested positive are able to
separate, quarantine can start the next day for people who aren’t sick.
Enter the name of each person you live with who tests positive for COVID-19 into the table below and fill in the boxes as appropriate.
A. Name
B. First date of
symptoms, or date of
test if no symptoms
C. Check box when
fever has been gone for
24 hours (without
medicine) or if they
never had a fever
D. Check box when
other symptoms are
getting better, or if
they never had
symptoms
E. Check box when it has
been 10 days since
symptoms started, or 10
days since date of last
test if no symptoms
F. Date the boxes in
columns C, D, and E
were checked for this
person
Once everyone who was sick or has tested positive for COVID-19 has all of the boxes filled in, the quarantine period begins for people who didn’t get sick
or who never had a positive test. See the next page for how to calculate it.
WHEN IS EVERYONE FINISHED WITH THEIR HOME QUARANTINE?
Revised December 10, 2020
publichealthmdc.com/coronavirus
Date 1: Latest date in column F (date the boxes in columns C, D, and E were checked for this person):
Date 2: The last date of quarantine. There are three options for quarantining. Pick one of the options below. We recommend using the same option
for all members for everyone you live with who did not get sick or have a positive test:
o Option 1 (Safest option) 14 day quarantine (no test required): Add 14 days to Date 1 above (the latest date in column F):
o Option 2 10 day quarantine (not test required): Add 10 days to Date 1 above (the latest date in column F):
o Option 3 7 day quarantine, and get tested 6 or 7 days after last exposure. If test is negative, end quarantine after 7 days. You must wait for
the test result before ending quarantine: Add 7 days to Date 1 above (the latest date in column F):
Date 2 is the last date of quarantine for everyone who didn’t get sick or who never had a positive test. For example, if Date 1 is December 10, below are
the dates by each type of quarantine option:
o Option 1 14 day quarantine (no test required): December 24 (December 10+14 days=24)
o Option 2 10 day quarantine (not test required): December 20 (December 10+10 days=20)
o Option 3 7 day quarantine, and get tested 6 or 7 days after last exposure. If test is negative, end quarantine after 7 days: December 17
(December 10+7 days=17)