Changes made to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced policy changes to make it easier for students, teachers and business workers exposed to an infected person to avoid a two-week quarantine, despite a surge in cases throughout the state, including Southwest Iowa.
Under new state guidance, children in daycares and schools and workers do not have to quarantine as long as they and the infected person with whom they were in contact were consistently and correctly wearing face coverings.
Only the infected person must go into isolation, while the close contacts should monitor their health. The change breaks with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, which recommends a 14-day quarantine for anyone who is in close contact with someone who has tested positive regardless of mask use.
Montgomery County Public Health Director, Samantha Beeson said they are implementing this change county-wide when doing contact tracing.
“The most important thing is to remember that both parties need to be wearing a mask to avoid the 14 day quarantine. Just because you were wearing a mask, doesn’t necessarily mean you will not have to quarantine,” said Beeson.
Beeson explained if a positive case was wearing a mask and so were their close contacts, no one would need to quarantine for 14 days.
“We would still contact them though and tell them to self monitor their symptoms for the 14 days,” Beeson said. “If the positive case is not wearing a mask but all close contacts are they would need to quarantine for 14 days.”
“This guidance does not apply to healthcare, residential or household setting. For non-healthcare, non-residential settings, quarantine is no longer recommended if a potential exposure occurs while both the infectious individual and the close contacts are wearing face coverings consistently and correctly,” Beeson explained. “In all scenarios below, an individual is considered a close contact when they have been within 6 feet of the COVID-19 positive individual for 15 minutes. Individuals who are a close contact due to exposure to a household member are required to quarantine for at least 14 days.”
She added quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Individuals who have COVID-19 must isolate for at least 10 days.
“Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home.”
The CDC recommends masks are worn in public settings around people who don’t live in your household and when you can’t stay six feet away from others. However, Beeson pointed out the Centers for Disease Control and the Iowa Department of Public Health, at this time, are not considering neck gaiters or face shields as proper masks.
Masks are to have two or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19. Masks are also to be worn over the nose and mouth, and are to be secured under the chin. Masks are to be worn by people 2 years old and older, unless they have trouble breathing or are those who can’t remove the mask without assistance.