(Des Moines) The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is making a change on quarantine recommendations for people that have been exposed to a positive case of COVID-19. This applies in non-healthcare, non-residential settings only. This includes businesses, education, and child care settings.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the change during her press conference this (Tuesday) morning.
Additionally, the Governor says she is aware of other jurisdictions, including Nebraska and Wyoming that have made similar changes based on experiences in their states. We will continue to make recommendations based on the best available information and adjust when needed.
Close contacts of COVID-positive cases will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days if a face covering was worn consistently and correctly by the positive case and close contacts. The positive case must isolate.
The close contacts should self-monitor. Self-monitoring entails close monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms over the subsequent 14 days, staying home if any symptoms develop, and speaking with a healthcare provider about COVID-19 testing in the case of any illness.
If people who are self-monitoring become ill but do not get tested, they should remain home until 10 days after symptom onset. People currently in the quarantine may be released from quarantine if a face covering was worn consistently and correctly by the positive case and close contacts during exposure.
If the positive case wore a face covering, but close contacts did not, those close contacts must be quarantined. If the positive case did not wear a face covering, close contacts must quarantine whether or not they wore a face covering. Quarantine of close contacts will still be necessary in residential and healthcare settings.
Please find an infographic depicting the new IDPH recommendations at https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/61/covid19/resources/WhenToQuarantine.pdf
