COVID-19 Information

Public Health Advisory – Quarantine and Isolation

Guidance on Quarantine and Isolation
When Exposed to COVID-19 

For questions or additional guidance, call 814-451-6700.

• Guidance on Quarantine and Isolation as of Jan. 14, 2022

Quarantine and isolation help prevent the spread of infection to others. Use these documents as guidance if you or someone you know, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated,

• has been exposed to someone who has COVID-19
• are a close contact of someone who has COVID-19
• are waiting for results of COVID-19 PCR testing
• are experiencing symptoms such as fever or chills, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue or tiredness, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

Close contact. The Erie County Department of Health follows the definition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.”

Assessing the nature of every interaction in its entirety is important in determining the risk of transmission in each specific scenario. Additional factors that are considered, even if contact time is less than 15 consecutive or cumulative minutes, include:

• Being in extremely close proximity (e.g., face to face).
• Prolonged exposure time.
• Infected person exhibiting symptoms.
• Infected person generating respiratory aerosols (e.g., coughing, singing, shouting).
• Environmental conditions (e.g., crowding, inadequate ventilation, or being indoors).