So, you are a close contact – you have been notified through the CA-Notify App, told by a friend, called by a contact tracer, or learned from others that you had an exposure to COVID-19. What to do?
First, if you have symptoms, STAY HOME and self-isolate, and get tested now and again 3-5 days from your exposure.
You should get tested as soon as possible: you can self-schedule a symptomatic test on eTang
Stay home until you have tested negative with TWO home antigen tests (separated by 24 hours) OR a single PCR test, unless an alternate diagnosis is found
You do not need to test if you had COVID within the past 90 days, unless you develop symptoms.
Additional requirements for returning to work do exist for Healthcare and Childcare workers.
A “potential exposure to COVID-19” is different from being identified as a close contact with a COVID-19 positive case. You are likely to be at LOWER risk than an identified contact, and no more than, for example, visiting a supermarket, however this alert should prompt you to take the following actions:
Monitor for symptoms and if you develop symptoms, as always self-schedule a symptomatic test on eTang(link is external) and self-isolate pending results.
Schedule a surveillance test on campus, preferably at 3-5 days from the potential exposure
You do not have to do a COVID test, unless you develop symptoms.
Please note: an exposure notification through the CalNotify App is equivalent to a close contact notice, not to a “potential exposure.” If you receive one of these, follow the instructions for “ Contact Tracing: What to know and do” below.
Isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (both those who are sick with COVID-19 and those without symptoms) from people who are not infected. Isolation for COVID-19 generally lasts for no more than 10 days, requiring in addition that you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours and have improvement in any symptoms. Exceptions may apply when someone is seriously ill or has serious underlying medical conditions.
If you haven’t done so already, please activate exposure notifications on your phone using CA Notify. It’s available for both iOS and Android and is built with the highest degrees of privacy in mind.