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 pracce self-quaranne and self-
monitoring in order to protect yourself, your family, and your community.
How to quarantine
Stay home (or other locaon 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 instrucons below. You may go out for necessies
such as food or medicaon if someone else can’t bring them
over or you can’t 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 specic
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, eang utensils, towels, or
bedding with other people in your home. Aer using these
items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and
water.
Wash your hands oen and pracce good hygiene.
Postpone all non-essenal medical appointments unl you
are out of quaranne. If you have an essenal
appointment during the quaranne, 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 anyme during the 14 days aer
your last close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
When quaranning, you should always monitor your
symptoms for 14 days aer 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 posive, follow
isolaon guidance for people who test posive; if negave,
connue quaranning.
It is safest if you quaranne for 14 days aer your last
exposure. No test is required to end quaranne.
You do have other opons for quaranne. These opons
are to:
Quaranne for 10 days aer your last exposure. No test
is required to end quaranne. Monitor yourself for
symptoms unl 14 days aer your last exposure.
Quaranne and get tested for COVID-19 6 or 7 days
aer last exposure. If your test is negave, you could
end quaranne aer 7 days of quaranne. You must
have your negave test result before ending quaranne
and the test cannot be before day 6. Monitor yourself
for symptoms unl 14 days aer 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 doctor’s oce
without contacng them rst.
Stay home unless you need emergency medical aenon.
Isolate yourself from others in your home, pracce good
hand hygiene, sanize surfaces in your home, and wear a
facemask if you need to be around other people.
If you need emergency medical aenon, call 911 and let
them know that you are being monitored for novel
coronavirus.