FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2020
The new guidance shortens the quarantine period from 14 days to 10, aligning with California Department of Public Health
Santa Clara County, CA – The County of Santa Clara has released new COVID-19 quarantine guidance, which shortens the length of quarantine from 14 days to 10 days for close contacts of persons with COVID-19 and those subject to the mandatory travel quarantine. However, despite the shortened quarantine period, individuals should continue monitoring for symptoms for a full 14 days. The new recommendations were released on Monday and align with the California Department of Public Health’s new guidance.
“Although the quarantine period is now shorter, it is critical that everyone continues to closely monitor for symptoms throughout the full two weeks,” said Dr. Sarah Rudman, Assistant Health Officer and Director of Case Investigation and Contact Tracing. “We are in a critical phase of our response to the pandemic and, especially as cases continue to increase rapidly increase across our region, we need everyone to closely follow public health guidelines to slow the spread of the virus.”
The new guidance also recommends that asymptomatic close contacts of cases should be tested on Day 6 or later from last exposure. If testing is done earlier than 6 days after the last exposure to the COVID-positive person, the contact should get tested again towards the end of the 10-day quarantine period. Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested immediately.
More information on home isolation and quarantine guidance can be found on the County’s website. To find more information about who should be tested and to find testing sites, visit www.sccfreetest.org.
Vaccine update:
The County expects to receive the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, as allocated by the State. These early doses will be for people in the highest priority categories, as set by the state and federal government. The people eligible for vaccine at first will be those at risk of getting COVID-19 because they work in specific jobs in health care or because they live or work in certain types of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Everyone, including those who get vaccinated, must continue to avoid gatherings, postpone travel, wear face masks, and stay home as much as possible while we wait for vaccines to be widely available.
County officials held a media session on this topic and it will be available on the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Facebook page.
# # #
Follow our Twitter for updates: @HealthySCC
Public Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/sccpublichealth
Public Health Website: www.sccgov.org/coronavirus