Frequently asked questions
STAY HOME.
Do not go to work or class for 5 days since your symptoms started, or 5 days since your test date if you do not have symptoms, or as instructed by a contact tracer.
- Students living in residence halls have additional requirements; isolate as directed by the contact tracer and residence hall staff.
- Isolate yourself from other people, regardless of your vaccination status and whether or not you have symptoms.
- You can end isolation after day 5 if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved.
Submit a COVID-19 Case Intake Form if you tested outside the Husky Coronavirus voluntary research study.
ENTER YOUR WA NOTIFY PIN.
Your contact tracer will give you a PIN number to enter in your mobile device to confidentially alert close contacts.
WEAR A MASK.
Wear a well-fitting surgical mask or KF94/KN95/N95 when around others at home and in public for 5 additional days (through day 10). Follow additional CDC restrictions for travel, eating, and other activities.
COMPLETE THE ELECTRONIC SURVEY.
The COVID-19 Response and Prevention Team will send you a link to a health survey prior to the end of your isolation period.
TAKE PRECAUTIONS DURING ISOLATION.
- Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing or chest pain or confusion), seek emergency medical care immediately.
- Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible.
- Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
- Take steps to improve ventilation at home, if possible.
- Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets.
- Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
- Wear a well-fitting surgical mask, or KF94/KN95/N95 mask when you need to be around other people, including in your household.
- Learn more about what to do if you are sick and how to notify your contacts.
Take ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS through day 10.
1. Level up your mask: Continue to wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask around others at home and in public for an 5 additional days after the end of your isolation period (through day 10), or as directed by EH&S for students in residence halls. If you are unable to wear a mask when around others, continue to isolate for a full 10 days.
2. Do not travel during your 5-day isolation period (or as directed by EH&S for students in residence halls). After you end isolation, avoid travel until a full 10 days after your first day of symptoms. If you must travel on days 6-10, wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during the 10 days.
3. Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days has passed since your first day of symptoms.
4. Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask, such as restaurants and some gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work until a full 10 days has passed since your first day of symptoms.
WHEN YOU CAN END ISOLATION
You can end isolation after day 5 if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved. (Day 0 is the first day you experienced symptoms).
- People with certain medical conditions might need to stay home longer than 5 days. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information.
- If you tested positive and did not experience any symptoms, isolate for 5 days since the date you took your COVID-19 test. (Day 0 is the day you took the test for which you received a positive result).
- Students living in residence halls have additional requirements and isolate as directed by the contact tracer and residence hall staff. University isolation and quarantine requirements for residence halls are developed in coordination with local health agencies.
If you continue to have a fever, or your other symptoms have not improved after your initial isolation period, continue isolating until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved. Continue to wear a well-fitting surgical mask, or KF94/KN95/N95 mask. Contact your healthcare provider if you have questions.
Getting tested at the end of isolation is optional.
Refer to the FAQ "Should I get tested again after testing positive for COVID-19?" for more information.
You should get retested if new COVID-19 symptoms develop and more than 90 days have passed since your symptoms started, because you may be infectious and will need to follow the guidance for self-isolation.
If you tested positive for COVID-19, it is optional for you to get tested again at the end of your isolation period.
If you have access to a COVID-19 test and want to test yourself, you can use an antigen test (at-home or rapid test) towards the end of the 5-day isolation period. Get tested only if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation).
- If your test result is positive, continue to isolate through day 10 or as directed by the contact tracer.
- If your test result is negative, you can end isolation.
- Continue to wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask around others at home and in public until day 10.
If you have recovered and you no longer have COVID-19 symptoms, you should not get tested with a PCR test (laboratory test) for 90 days after your symptoms started. A COVID-19 PCR test result can continue to be positive for up to 90 days after recovering from COVID-19 because it is more sensitive than an antigen test.
You should get retested if new COVID-19 symptoms develop and more than 90 days have passed since your symptoms started, because you may be infectious and will need to follow the guidance for self-isolation.
Read the Public Health – Seattle & King County blog that explains the differences between rapid antigen tests and PCR tests.
Close contact means being within 6 feet of an individual with COVID-19 for a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period (even if you were both wearing face coverings), living with or caring for an individual who has COVID-19, or having direct contact with infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on, kissing, sharing utensils).
Notify EH&S at covidehc@uw.edu if your exposure was potentially related to workplace or campus activities and you have not already been notified by the University.
If you are up-to-date on the CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses (and/or you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days) and you are not experiencing symptoms:
- You do not need to stay home. You can return to work and/or class.
- Wear a well-fitting, surgical mask or KF94/KN95/N95 when around others at home and in public for 10 days.
- Get tested at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19 (or immediately if you are unsure when you were exposed). Get tested immediately if you were notified of exposure by WA Notify, do not know when your exposure occurred or are unsure or concerned you may have been exposed.
- If the test is positive, isolate for 5 days since the date your symptoms started, or 5 days from the date of your positive test (if you do not have symptoms), or as instructed by a contact tracer. Follow the additional instructions provided by the contact tracer and detailed above.
- If the test is negative: Watch for symptoms for 10 days since your last exposure. If you develop symptoms, stay home and follow the instructions below.
If you are up-to-date on the CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses (and/or you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days) and you are experiencing symptoms:
- Stay home and isolate yourself from others. Do not go to work and/or class.
- Wear a well-fitting, surgical mask or KF94/KN95/N95 when around others at home and in public.
- Get tested immediately.
- If the test is positive, isolate for 5 days since the date your symptoms started, or 5 days from the date of your positive test (if you do not have symptoms), or as instructed by a contact tracer. Follow the additional instructions provided by the contact tracer and detailed above.
- If the test is negative, you can return to work and/or class if all of the following apply to you:
1. Your symptoms are mild; and
2. Your symptoms have improved; and
3. You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication. If your symptoms are severe or getting worse, stay home, notify covidehc@uw.edu and consult a healthcare provider.
If you are not current on COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses and you have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days:
- Stay home and away from other people (quarantine) for 5 days after your last contact with an individual who has COVID-19, or as instructed by your contact tracer. The date of your last close contact exposure is considered day 0.
- Wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask around others at home and in public for 10 days after your last close contact exposure.
- Watch for symptoms for 10 days after your last exposure, including fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater), cough, and shortness of breath.
- Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact exposure if you don’t develop symptoms. If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive your test results.
- If the test is negative, you can end quarantine after day 5 if you have no symptoms. Continue to wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask when around others at home and in public until 10 days after your last close contact exposure.
- If the test is positive, isolate for 5 days since the date your symptoms started, or 5 days from the date of your positive test (if you do not have symptoms), or as instructed by a contact tracer. Follow the additional instructions provided by the contact tracer and detailed above.
- If you are unable to get a test 5 days after your last close contact with an individual with COVID-19, you can leave your home after day 5 if you have been without COVID-19 symptoms throughout the 5-day period. Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after your date of last close contact when around others at home and in public.
- Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days after your last close contact with an individual with COVID-19.
If you will have ongoing close contact an individual who has COVID-19 (e.g., a household member), contact covidehc@uw.edu to receive additional guidance.
You do not need to stay home (quarantine) after being close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 if you are in at least one of the following groups and you are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms:
- You are aged 18 or older and have received all CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses, including boosters, and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people.
- You are aged 5-17 years and completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.
- You tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days.
Even if you don’t need to quarantine, take the following precautions after your exposure:
- Wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95 or N95 mask around others for 10 days from the date of your last close contact exposure to an individual with COVID-19 (the date of your last close contact is considered day 0).
- Get tested at least 5 days after you last had your close contact exposure to an individual with COVID-19. Get tested immediately if you were notified of exposure by WA Notify, do not know when your exposure occurred, or are unsure or concerned you may have been exposed.
- If the test is negative, you can end quarantine after day 5 if you have no symptoms. Continue to wear a well-fitting surgical, KF94, KN95, or N95 mask when around others at home and in public until 10 days after your last close contact exposure.
- If the test is positive, isolate for 5 days since the date your symptoms started, or 5 days from the date of your positive test (if you do not have symptoms), or as instructed by a contact tracer. Follow the additional instructions provided by the contact tracer and detailed above.
- If you tested positive for COVID-19 within the previous 90 days and subsequently recovered and remain without COVID-19 symptoms, you do not need to get tested after your close contact exposure.
Below is information about quarantine timelines under three scenarios.
Scenario 1: You had close contact with a person who has COVID-19, and you will not have further close contact with that person while they have COVID-19.
Your quarantine period starts on the last date you had a close contact exposure to an individual with COVID-19. Your quarantine starts on Day 0 (date of last close contact) and ends on Day 5, or as instructed by the contact tracer according to the guidance detailed above.
If you are current on the CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccination and booster schedule, and/or you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, you are not required to quarantine unless you develop symptoms.
Scenario 2. You are staying home (quarantine) because you had close contact with an individual who has COVID-19, and you had additional close contact.
If you have additional close contact with an individual who has COVID-19, or a new household member tests positive for COVID-19, while you are in quarantine, you will need to restart your quarantine.
Your new start date will be the last date you had close contact with any individual who tested positive for COVID-19. Day 0 is the date of your last close contact (before the individual began their isolation period). Your quarantine ends on Day 5, or as instructed by the contact tracer according to the guidance detailed above.
Scenario 3: You have a household member who has COVID-19 and you cannot avoid continued close contact.
If you cannot avoid close contact with an individual who has COVID-19 because you live with the individual or you are caring for them, you don’t have a separate bedroom, or you are unable to keep a distance of 6 feet from the person, stay home and avoid contact with other people while the individual is isolating.
Your quarantine period starts after the individual who has COVID-19 meets the criteria to end home isolation. Day 0 of your quarantine period is the last date the COVID-19 positive individual was in isolation.
Follow the CDC recommendations for traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If your travel is for official University reasons or involves the University in any way, also follow the guidance in the Travel and study abroad section of the University's COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Quarantine and self-isolation both involve staying home and avoiding contact with other people.
- Quarantine keeps a person who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease before a person knows they have COVID-19.
- Isolation separates individuals who have COVID-19 from people who do not have COVID-19. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 need to self-isolate, even if they experience no symptoms.