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As of May 20, 2022, SFDPH will not be updating this webpage. This webpage will continue to be available for reference purposes for schools and programs until June 30, 2022. For more information about isolation and quarantine, visit: https://sf.gov/quarantining-covid-19
Summary of changes since February 17, 2022Updated masking guidance for individuals coming out of isolation and quarantine. Wearing a well-fitting mask until day 10 since infection or exposure is now strongly encouraged rather than required. Added new question about isolation when receiving treatment. |
Both isolation and quarantine refer to staying at home and away from other people, when you have or might have COVID‑19. Isolation and quarantine are used to keep people who have or might have COVID‑19 away from others, to keep the infection from spreading.
You isolate when you have been infected with the virus, even if you don't have symptoms. If you have symptoms that could be from COVID‑19, you also must isolate until you know you are not infected, usually after you have a negative COVID‑19 test.
You quarantine when you have had Close Contact with someone with COVID‑19 and might be infected.
Close contact is being within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours, even if both people were wearing masks. An infected person can spread COVID‑19 starting 2 days before they have symptoms or test positive for COVID‑19. The individual may be contagious for the duration that they are in isolation—at least 5 days, but may be longer if symptoms persist past 5 days or the patient tests positive after day 5. |
This guidance is intended for members of the general public over the age of 18 years old, most workplaces, childcare, and non-TK-12 programs.
This guidance does NOT apply in health care settings including long-term care facilities, jails and shelters, schools and some workplaces (see non-healthcare workplace setting exceptions below). These settings have their own specific guidance for isolation and quarantine.
Additionally, a specific employer or institution may have more restrictive policies in place than those described below so it is best to check with your specific organization for their isolation and quarantine rules.
Up-to-Date on Vaccination means either (a) two weeks have passed since completing primary series, AND you are not yet eligible for a booster dose (less than 2 months after a J&J vaccine; less than 5 months after an mRNA vaccine) OR (b) you have received a booster dose. |
See the following links for steps to keep infection from spreading and how to take care of yourself:
If you have symptoms of COVID‑19
If you were around someone diagnosed with COVID‑19
If you tested positive for COVID‑19 or were diagnosed with COVID‑19
CDPH Isolation and Quarantine guidance
If you had a positive COVID‑19 test or were diagnosed with COVID‑19, you must stay home, except to get needed medical care. Everyone must stay home who tests positive for COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated, have no symptoms or were recently (within the last 90 days) infected and recovered. You must stay home until all of the following are true:
You are encouraged to wear a well-fitting mask around others, indoors and outdoors, for a total of 10 days.
If you never had any symptoms, you must stay home for five (5) days after your positive test. If you are unable to test or choose not to test, you can end isolation after day ten (10).
These guidelines apply to kids who test positive for COVID-19.
*Either an antigen or PCR test is fine, but an antigen test is preferred to leave isolation or in people who have had a recent COVID-19 infection. Over the counter tests are acceptable to end isolation or quarantine.
If you have symptoms of COVID‑19, you must stay home except to get tested or get needed medical care, even if you are Up-to-Date on COVID-19 vaccination or have recently had COVID-19. You must stay home, away from other people, while waiting for your test result.
You can leave home after one of the following:
If your COVID‑19 test is positive, see If you tested positive or were diagnosed with COVID‑19.
If you had Close Contact to someone with COVID‑19, you may need to stay home based on how many vaccine doses you have received.
1 You may consider also testing immediately after learning of a Close Contact. Testing early allows you to have earlier access to treatment options, especially if you are immunocompromised, and to let people around you know that they might have been exposed. 2 In ceratin non-healthcare workplace settings, asymptomatic employees who are vaccinated with a primary series and booster eligible but NOT yet boosted are not required to stay home from work if:
Shelters includes general homeless shelters, residential rehabilitation, behavioral health residential programs, family shelters, youth shelters and domestic violence shelters.
If you live in a shelter, you should follow isolation and quarantine rules for the general populations. See How long do I have to stay at home? (Ending Isolation and Quarantine). The SFDPH Isolation and Quarantine directives no longer require longer quarantine for residents of a shelter.
If you work in a shelter, you should follow isolation and quarantine rules for the general populations. See How long do I have to stay at home? (Ending Isolation and Quarantine). However, staff at behavioral health sites who are considered healthcare workers should follow separate CDPH guidance on isolation and quarantine for healthcare providers.
If you work in a jail setting as a correctional staff member or a healthcare provider, you should follow the isolation and quarantine rules from your institution. Your facility may choose to be stricter that the rules found in the SFDPH Isolation and Quarantine directives.
If you live in a long term care facility or a nursing home, or are admitted to an acute care or psychiatric hospital, you should follow the rules of your facility. If you work in a hospital, long term care facility or nursing home, you should follow the CDPH guidance on isolation and quarantine for healthcare providers.
A. COVID‑19 Regardless of vaccination |
B. Symptoms of COVID‑19 Regardless of vaccination |
C. Close Contact to COVID‑19 |
If you had symptoms, you must stay home until
If you never had symptoms, you must stay home for 5 days after your positive test. If you do not get re-tested on day 5, you must stay at home for 10 days after your positive test. If unable to test or choose not to test, you may leave after day 10. However, if fever is present, continue to stay home until it resolves. You are encouraged to wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings. |
You must stay home until one of the following happens:
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Up-to-Date on for COVID‑19 Vaccines (or confirmed COVID-19 infection in the last 90 days) |
You do not have to quarantine.
If symptoms develop, test, stay home and follow directions in Column B |
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Not Up-to-Date on COVID-19 Vaccines§ |
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You must stay home for at least 5 days since your last Close Contact.
After you leave your house, you are encouraged to wear a well-fitting mask around others for an additional 5 days, especially in indoor settings. If symptoms develop, test, stay home and follow directions in Column B. |
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‡ Special rules apply to health care settings including long-term care facilities, jails and shelters and schools.
* Either nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) like PCR, or antigen tests are acceptable for all scenarios. However, antigen testing is preferred either 1) to end isolation or 2) when you have an exposure but have had a recent infection with COVID-19 in the last 90 days.
§ In a non-healthcare workplace setting, asymptomatic employees who are vaccinated with a primary series and booster eligible but NOT yet boosted are not required to stay home from work if:
Either nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) like a PCR, or antigen tests are acceptable to end quarantine. However, antigen testing is preferred in two situations, 1) to end isolation or 2) when you have a close contact but have had a recent infection with COVID-19 in the last 90 days. This is because antigen testing is better at picking up virus that is still infectious, while PCR tests can stay positive for some time and do not correlate as well with risk of infecting others. Over the counter tests are acceptable to end isolation or quarantine. See our additional guidance on at home testing.
You should not test again after the end of your isolation—which is ten days for most people—if you are feeling well and have had no fever for 24 hours. If you decide to test with a PCR test and the test is positive, it doesn't mean you are infectious and you can leave isolation. If you decide to test with an antigen test and your test is positive, you may leave isolation the following day without testing again. For a few days after your positive antigen test, you should consider staying away from congregate settings and people who are at high risk for severe COVID, as well as wearing a well-fitted mask indoors.
If you have a diagnosis of COVID-19 and cannot isolate from family members because you are taking care of them (e.g. children, elderly), we recommend you wear a well-fitting mask when around those individuals for the duration of your isolation.
If you are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19, we also recommend you wear a well-fitting mask around that person. Your quarantine time starts on the day of your last contact with that person while they are still in isolation.
No. If you take medications to treat COVID-19, including outpatient oral medicines, you should still follow the same guidance on staying away from others. Taking COVID-19 medicines does not change the time you should stay home and away from others.