BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) announced a change to its COVID-19 quarantine guidance Tuesday to align with CDC recommendations.
Under the new guidance individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days if no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period.
This new guidance is in place as of December 28, the previous quarantine period was 14 days past last exposure.
The Erie County Department of Health announced its update guidance Monday which aligns with the NYSDOH and CDC guidance.
“This will surely cause questions among people that our contact tracers are notifying,” said Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “The 14-day quarantine period has been in place since the beginning of this pandemic, and our contact tracers and call center are prepared to answer questions on this change.”
ECDOH says its strongly recommends a diagnostic COVID-19 test five to seven days following the date of last exposure for anyone who is a close or household contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case.
According to officials, other quarantine requirements include:
- Individuals must continue daily symptom monitoring through Day 14
- Individuals must be counseled to continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face coverings, through Day 14
- Individuals must be advised that if any symptoms develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.
