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What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19

Home » Coronavirus: Information, Resources, and Updates » What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19

Recommendation:

 If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home.

  • If you had no symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5
  • If your symptoms are improving, You may end isolation after day 5 if You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication). Your symptoms are not improving Continue to isolate until You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and Your symptoms are improving. 
  • After you have ended isolation, when you are feeling better (no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms improving), Wear your mask through day 10. Or If you have access to antigen tests, you should consider using them. With two sequential negative tests 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner than day 10.

Note: If your antigen test results1 are positive, you may still be infectious. You should continue wearing a mask and wait at least 48 hours before taking another test. Continue taking antigen tests at least 48 hours apart until you have two sequential negative results. This may mean you need to continue wearing a mask and testing beyond day 10.

If you have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID, or have questions or concerns about testing or COVID notification, please email Debbie Marriott-Simes at dmarriot-simes@cypresscollege.edu.

Close Contact and Infectious Period Definitions

The California Department of Public Health added the following definitions for close contact and infection period to their State Public Health Officer Order for COVID-19 Disease Control & Prevention dated June 20, 2023.

“For the purposes of the California Department of Public Health’s recommendations regarding isolation and quarantine for persons infected with or exposed to COVID-19 and outbreaks, the following definitions apply:

  1. “Close Contact” means the following:
  1. ​ In indoor spaces 400,000 or fewer cubic feet per floor (such as home, clinic waiting room, airplane etc.), a close contact is defined as sharing the same indoor airspace for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three separate 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during  a confirmed case’s infectious period.
  2. ​In large indoor spaces greater than 400,000 cubic feet per floor (such as open-floor-plan offices, warehouses, large retail stores, manufacturing, or food processing facilities), a close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the confirmed case for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during the confirmed case’s infectious period.

Spaces that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls (e.g., offices, suites, rooms, waiting areas, bathrooms, or break or eating areas that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls) must be considered distinct indoor airspaces.

  1. “Infectious Period” is defined as:
  1. ​​For symptomatic confirmed cases, 2 days before the confirmed case had any symptoms (symptom onset date is Day 0) through Days 5–10 after symptoms first appeared AND 24 hours have passed with no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and symptoms have improved, OR
  2. For asymptomatic confirmed cases, 2 days before the positive specimen collection date (collection date is Day 0) through Day 5 after positive specimen collection date for their first positive COVID-19 test.

For the purposes of identifying close contacts and exposures, symptomatic and asymptomatic confirmed cases who end isolation in accordance with CDPH Isolation and Quarantine Guidance are no longer considered to be within their infectious period. In alignment with CDC Recommendations for Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19,  The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated isolation recommendations on March 13, 2023. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should continue to isolate for 5 days, but may leave isolation after 5 days, if they are feeling well, symptoms are improving, and they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.  In addition, persons may also remove their mask after ending isolation sooner than 10 full days if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.”

For additional information about Cypress College’s response to Coronavirus, or to get details on what to do if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, visit cypresscollege.edu/coronavirus.