With COVID-19 no longer the widespread public health emergency it was in years past, public health officials at both the state and Los Angeles County levels have relaxed their guidance on how long individuals need to isolate from others after they are infected.
Both agencies note that earlier guidelines were implemented to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But most policies are now focused on protecting those most at risk for serious illness while reducing social disruption.
Here’s what you need to know about the new guidelines:
How long do I have to stay home?
Under guidelines revised this month, officials at the California and county departments of public health now say those who test positive need to isolate and stay home only while they have active COVID-19 symptoms. Those who test positive, but remain asymptomatic, need not do so.
Those who do develop symptoms — such as a cough or body aches — can end their isolation period once their symptoms are mild and improving, provided they haven’t had a fever for 24 hours without using medication.
Earlier guidance stated that those who were infected should stay home for at least five days.
“Previous isolation recommendations were implemented to reduce the spread of a virus to which the population had little immunity and had led to large numbers of hospitalizations and deaths that overwhelmed our healthcare systems during the pandemic,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.
“We are now at a different point in time with reduced impacts from COVID-19 compared to prior years, due to broad immunity from vaccination and/or natural infection and readily available treatments for infected people.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which most recently updated its guidance last spring, still recommends isolating for at least five days after the beginning of symptoms or your first positive test if you have no symptoms.
Regardless of symptoms or isolation, health experts recommend that anyone who has COVID-19 stay away from those at higher risk for severe illness for 10 days.
What about masking?
Officials say those with COVID-19 should still wear a mask around others for 10 days after the onset of symptoms or, if asymptomatic, after they first test positive.
Infected people can stop masking sooner if they test negative on two consecutive rapid tests taken at least one day apart.
Should I seek medication?
Anyone who has COVID-19 should speak with a healthcare provider as soon as possible to learn whether they may be eligible for treatment, such as a prescription for Paxlovid or other antiviral medication.
“As COVID-19, flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] continue to circulate in Los Angeles County, residents remain at increased risk of being exposed or exposing others to respiratory infections,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement Friday.
“People are encouraged to take common-sense precautions, such as getting vaccinated and, if sick, staying home, testing and seeking treatment, to protect themselves and the people around them from respiratory illness.”
When should I test?
The change in guidance comes as some healthcare officials have noted an apparent lag in how long it now takes to get an accurate result using at-home rapid tests — a delay some experts hypothesize is a result of people having accumulated immunity from COVID-19 over the years, whether from vaccinations or previous infections.
The CDC still recommends testing immediately if you have symptoms of COVID-19, and experts note a positive result from an at-home rapid test is usually reliable.
But a negative result, especially from a test taken early on, may not be as accurate, as it can take a few days for the virus to reproduce in quantities high enough to be detected.
If you test negative, but have COVID symptoms, the CDC suggests retesting after 48 hours. And during that period, officials say you should stay home and away from other people or mask up if you need to be around others.
At-home rapid COVID-19 tests generally detect a coronavirus infection at least 80% of the time, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
