Confused about the new quarantine and isolation guidelines? Learn how long you need to stay home after testing positive or being exposed to COVID-19.
A 10-day isolation is still the very safest length of time to stay home after you test positive. However, new data from the CDC shows that a shorter isolation and quarantine may now be used.
Isolate if you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19
Stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or test positive, even if you are vaccinated or had COVID before.
If you have symptoms, stay home until:
- You’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without using medicine to lower your fever,
- Your symptoms have improved for 24 hours,
- It has been at least 5 days from the day you were tested.
You may need to stay at home longer than 5 days if your symptoms have not gotten better.
If you never had symptoms and test positive, stay home until it has been at least 5 days since the day you were tested.
In either case, wear a mask around others and in public for another 5 days after you end your isolation at home.
More info about isolation:
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/protect-yourself/#isolate-if-test-positive
Quarantine if you’re exposed to COVID-19
You don’t need to quarantine at home if:
- You’re up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccinations. This means you’ve had a booster dose, or had a 2nd dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 5 months, or had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last 2 months.
- Children ages 5-17 don’t need a booster dose to be considered up-to-date right now.
- If you are immunocompromised, you are up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccinations if you also had your additional primary dose.
- You tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days (about 3 months) and don’t have any symptoms.
Quarantine at home for at least 5 days if:
- You’re unvaccinated–you haven’t had any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- You are not up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Booster doses are not included in the quarantine guidelines for children 17 and younger right now.
- It’s been more than 90 days (about 3 months) since you tested positive for COVID-19 and you are not up-to-date with your vaccinations.
You can end your quarantine at home after 5 full days if you don’t have any symptoms.
In either case:
- Watch for symptoms of COVID-19. If you get sick, assume you have COVID-19 and follow the isolation guidelines.
- Wear a mask around others and in public for a total of 10 days after your last exposure to the sick person.
- We recommend you get tested 5 days after your last close contact with the person who has COVID.
- If it’s been less than 90 days (about 3 months) since you first tested positive for COVID-19 and you don’t have any new symptoms, you don’t need to get tested again.
What to do if you quarantine at home: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/protect-yourself/#quarantine-if-exposed